


Monster

by Fangren



Category: Jackie Chan Adventures, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: BNHA as present, Gen, Jackie Chan Adventures as backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23666893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangren/pseuds/Fangren
Summary: The world changed when humanity regained the magic it had forgotten. The dust settled, a baby was born, and the world changed again. This is the story of Indou Youko, a young girl aiming to become a Master Wizard. This is also the story of Indou Youko, a young girl aiming to become a Pro Hero.
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologues: The Third Era / Student / Demon

**Author's Note:**

> An odd blend of an old favorite (Jackie Chan Adventures, which originally aired 2000-2005) and a new interest, My Hero Academia. This fic is geared more towards those most familiar with the latter, with the former primarily serving as (partial) backstory for the AU with characters, concepts, and events canon to the former getting explained/elaborated on when necessary.
> 
> Another fic set in the same AU is also being planned, set after the JCA finale and elaborating on one of the events that bridge the gap between it and this fic. I do not yet know when it will be released.

**The Third Era**

The beginning of the 21st century saw a sharp rise in supernatural events across the globe. Though largely scattered and seemingly disparate, the few online circles and organizations with interest in such things noted several common threads: the city of San Francisco, California; the shadowy US government organization known only as 'Section 13'; a criminal organization called 'The Dark Hand'; a certain archaeologist and his family.

Thus, it came as no surprise to them when all of those elements, in one way or another, were involved in the world's first major magical event in centuries: later dubbed 'the San Francisco Incident', a number of demons appeared on the Golden Gate Bridge, destroying it and a few other parts of the city before local wizards were able to banish them.

Despite the suddenness, scale, and definitively magical nature of the incident, however, the reaction of the general public remained skeptical. In absence of an official explanation (the US government was, privately, too divided to reach a general consensus as to their response, even within party lines) theories of all types flourished as to the true cause of the San Francisco Incident: an elaborate hoax; a failed publicity stunt for a new movie; a terrorist attack; the Biblical End Times; even an alien invasion. Very few people who had not already been connected to the supernatural guessed at the magical nature of the incident.

The next occurrence, however, would change that entirely. On October 31 st  , 2003, the year of the San Francisco Incident, all the various evils that had been lying dormant, sealed, across the globe were released simultaneously to wreak havoc and get their revenge on humanity. The so-called 'Lost Halloween' was one of the darkest days in modern history, with millions dying at the hands of demons and evil spirits between sunset on the 31  st  and sunrise the morning after. Many more were saved, however, at the hands of the wizards, mystics, druids, and other magic-users who revealed themselves in the name of defending humanity.

Ultimately, the 'Lost Halloween' forced a great change in humanity. Magic was real and undeniable, and the world rushed to come to grips with this truth: scientists tried to understand it, governments and corporations tried to harness it, and the magic-users of the world – too disconnected and independently-minded after centuries of operating from the shadows to be called a 'community' yet – simply tried to return to a peaceful life.

In the end, they were unable to. Between pressure put on them by their homelands to participate in a new magical arms race, to the prejudice of local religion and superstition, to the darker members of their world attempting to take advantage of the unrest and unease to seize power for themselves, it became clear that the world had been irrevocably changed. They would have to adapt to it, or face the destruction of their knowledge, their traditions, and themselves.

However, by the time the first stirrings of the nascent magical community became more than the far-fetched dreams of a few isolated wizards, it was too late: The Magic Wars had already engulfed the globe. It was fought on both a philosophical level, between science, religion, and magic, and an all-too-real physical level. Nation fought nation in pursuit of magical dominance or suppression, and attacks by dark wizards and demons alike punctuated the time with atrocities the likes of which had never been seen before..

But one by one, good triumphed over the evils of the world. Demon and spirit were banished and brought to rest; dark wizards captured and stripped of their powers; nations talked down from the brink of madness and destruction. The new international magical community, forced and forged together, stood tall and proud, ready to watch over the magic of the world and ensure the safety of all. For a time, it seemed like balance had finally been restored to the world.

And then, 64 years after the 'Lost Halloween', a baby that gave off light was born in Qing Qing City, China.

Though shocking, the initial assumption was that it was the influence of magic, perhaps the unintended side-effect of a potion or spell on a pregnant mother, or even the work of a mischievous spirit. But the child's parents denied those possibilities, and after a month of rigorous study the magical authorities of the world came to the same conclusion: the child's light was not magical in nature or origin.

Scientific authorities quickly backed them up – the child's luminescence, they announced, was not unlike the bioluminescence present in many existing species. It was nothing more than an extraordinary, and unprecedented, mutation.

The world was shocked, to be sure, and for many days accusations of illegal chemical dumping or genetic tampering were flung around. But as investigations stalled at the source of the mutation, the world began to lose interest.

But that child was only the first of many, each with a different mutation, a different _power_ , with no known cause or source. And to a world that had only just began to reconcile with its own forgotten magic, this strange new generation threatened to upset the precarious balance of the world eben further and bring back the darkness of the Magic Wars.

And in many ways, it did just that. But each successive generation brought a greater percentage of the population that possessed these new powers, and thus a greater ability to combat its own threat. And soon, the profession that had long been dreamed about and admired in the stories of old rose to prominence: Heroes, courageous individuals who used their own powers to combat those who would use their gifts for evil, defending humanity in much the same way as the magical community. And the public, memories of the world's darkness still alive in their minds, quickly accepted them.

Like the Wizards before them the Heroes were made official, their powers and conduct regulated by law. But while the magical community had fought to ensure that regulation of their own came from within, to protect their diverse traditions and cherished autonomy, the new Heroes became employees of the governments of the world.

At present, around 80% of the world's population possesses some sort of power, or 'Quirk'. Nearly 10% of the world, regardless of Quirk, counts itself as part of the magical community in some fashion. And while the number of Heroes is far greater than that of Wizards, both groups still stand side-by-side to fight the evil of the world, wherever and however it may appear.

Their work is never over.

* * *

**Student**

Indou Youko sits at the desk in her room, studying. Her long brown hair is tied back into a tight braid but without her usual ribbon, and she fidgets with her reading glasses as she goes over the notes she's made yet again. What little schoolwork she has – it's entrance exam time after all, third-years need to be focusing on those – was finished hours ago, and Master Yau hasn't given her any tasks today, so she has nothing to do but prepare for the exam that would make or break the future she's dreamed of.

She's grateful for the time, for the peace and quiet. She doesn't think she needs it really, she's always had a good mind for academics, and she has confidence that she'll be able to pass the written portion of the exam. But there is a notable difference between 'passing' and 'getting a perfect score', and with a Quirk like hers she really needs every point she can get on the written exam. Especially if what she;s read online about the practical portion of the exam is true.

She tries to push away thoughts of her being completely unable to do anything just due to sheer dumb luck, fails, and sighs. Without thinking she reaches out to the walking stick leaning against her desk – the crooked thing is too uncomfortable to sit down with it slinged to her back as she'd prefer – and strokes it a few times with her thumb. It gives her a little bit of ease, but she's still grown a tad restless after reviewing the same notes for so long, so she grabs it and stands up.

Youko doesn't need the stick to walk (“ _Yet_ ,” Master Yau always says with a chuckle), so she just rests the old branch on her shoulder or spins it in her hands as she paces her room. She so _desperately_ wants to be able to strategize for the practical exam, but knows it's pointless. She only knows the barest details of what it will entail, and none of it is what she needs to know the most. There isn't even any point in practicing with her Quirk like she's sure so many of the other examinees must be doing right now. Her entire performance will depend on the 'hand' she's dealt as the exam begins.

It's frustrating, to say the least. She can't imagine that anyone else is going to have this much trouble with their Quirk in two days.

Another, louder sigh as she flops backward onto her bed. She holds her stick in the air above her, idly twirling it or passing it from one hand to the other as she thinks. She goes over the extremely limited, extremely basic plans for the practical she has, more 'what ifs' than actual strategies. She reviews the subjects of the written exam as well – Japanese, English, math, science, social studies, heroics. She doesn't feel like she's weak in any of them. She reminds herself that she also applied to the General Studies course, as was apparently common practice for prospective students like herself who have Quirks ill-suited for the practical portion, and tries to feel some measure of gratitude at the thought of even being admitted to it. It's elite! It's highly selective! It's the next best thing!

It's hollow, and it isn't what she wants.

Youko stops twirling her stick, sits up, and gazes around her room to remind herself of everything she's done so far. The walls are lined with shelves, and the shelves are filled with jars and jars of insects, plants, and more. Most were ready-to-use, but some were pickling, or drying, or just aging until they reached the right balance of physical properties, symbology, and _chi_ that would make them ideal ingredients to use in her spells.

All of them had been collected with her own two hands, and prepared according to the teachings of Master Yau. (Which reminded her, there was still that last patch of last week's snow in the shade of the house. It had been there for long enough, she should really go collect some later and put it in the freezer – it had no _chi_ , but the symbology would be useful.)

Eight years of study. Eight years of training. Eight years of hard work, which had all paid off a few months ago when she'd earned her Wizard's Provisional License 1 just shortly after her fifteenth birthday.

Her PL1! At _fifteen_! She was allowed to use low-level spells without supervision, and she wasn't even in high school yet! It was practically unheard of! And she owes it all to...

Three soft knocks on her door cut through her thoughts, and she looks to see Chi Master Yau, the man who's taught her everything she knows about magic, standing in the open doorway with a smile on his face. “I can see that you are busy thinking,” he tells her. “Would you like some tea?”

She finally notices the cup in his hand, the scent of jasmine in the air. She stares blankly for half a second before bolting from her bed, realizing that she'd neglected one of her duties. “Ahh! I forgot to make your tea this afternoon! I'm so sorry!”

“Do ho ho,” Master Yau chuckles. He is tall, and bald, and doesn't have much of a belly, but his laugh is deep. He takes a sip of tea, and strokes his long white beard and mustache with his free hand. “Do not worry, my apprentice. I am your caretaker as much as you are mine. I would be a fool to make you trouble yourself over such a minor thing when you have so much hanging over your shoulders.”

Youko can't help but feel a little embarrassed about it. “Thank you, Master.”

He smiles. “Now, come have some tea and tell Master Yau what troubles you.” He lifts his cup and waggles his brow expectantly, and Youko can't deny that she's enticed by the offer.

“Thank you,” she repeats, more softly as she makes to follow him. Out of habit she walks three paces behind him, both to let him guide the way and so that she doesn't accidentally step on the hem of his formal robes. They weren't his 'formal' formal robes, the ones he wore on official business, just his casual 'around-the-house' formal robes, but that just meant they were older and more worn down. It is a sign of an experienced wizard, he always tells her, to have robes like that. That is why he rarely wears anything else, except for gardening and a few other specific occasions. He likes people to know _exactly_ who he was.

She has yet to meet someone who didn't know him on sight.

Down the old flight of stairs, its creaks ignored, and into a kitchen that smelled of... Well, no one thing in particular; each potion or spell or brew brought with it its own unique odor, and with little time or opportunity to fade before the next batch was introduced the room was left an olfactory kaleidoscope, different each time you smelt it.

Right now it smells of jasmine tea, with a background of mung beans and overcooked horse gallbladder. It brings a tiny little smile to Youko's lips. The kettle is already waiting on the table, and Master Yau poured her a cup once she is seated.

He is silent as she savors its scent, and the flavor of the first sip. And, after a few moments, Youko is ready. “I'm worried,” she begins, despite how obvious it feels. “I don't know if I have what it takes to get in to U.A.”

She can feel him watching her as she keeps her gaze on her tea; there is nothing to read in it, but she likes to pretend it will show her something if she wishes hard enough. Eventually, he replies. “You have made great strides as my apprentice, Youko,” he tells her. “You have learned much, and grown more. But the path of a Hero is very different from the path of a Wizard, despite how often they intertwine. Many have tried to walk them both, but it is very few that have succeeded. There is no shame in leaving one or the other if the burdens become too much for you to bare, and even if you were to leave my tutelage it would not diminish how proud I am of you.”

Years ago, when she could barely even be called a real apprentice, such words would have disheartened Youko. But she _knows_ Master Yau now, and could see the glimmer of _more_ in his eye.

“And that is why I _know_ you will succeed,” he tells her. “I have seen you stumble, and fall, and pick yourself up again, time after time. No obstacle stands before you for long. So no matter what this exam may bring, no matter _what_ fortune deals you, I have every confidence that you shall find a way forward. Just as you found a way forward in Kyoto.”

His broad smile makes her remember. _Kyoto_. How could she forget? That had been the site of the PL1 Exam. She had been outmatched by her spirit opponent in the final test, and separated from the tools she needed to do her magic. It had seemed hopeless, but she'd worked out a way to use her Quirk to distract and weaken the spirit, letting her retake her spells and banish it.

“Nothing is unbeatable,” she says, trying to hold back happy tears as she repeats the lesson she'd finally understood that day.

Master Yau, now beaming at her, is right; his lesson clear. She cannot proceed down the paths she has chosen without understanding the ground she has already walked. But once that understanding is hers, the way forward will be clear.

It doesn't matter what the UA Practical Exam is, or what 'hand' she is dealt for it. She will find a way forward, in the footsteps of That Man, and save others as she herself was saved.

Indou Youko _will be_ the next Magical Hero.

* * *

**Demon**

He awakens in darkness. He is cold.

_He should not be cold._

Everything feels wrong. He can feel solid ground beneath him, but cannot see the world he has been brought to. He can hear the shuffles of other beings around him, but cannot smell what they are. He cannot sense the magic in the air, nor feel it in himself.

He knows what has been done to him, because it has been done before. His body has been made weak, powerless, pathetic, _mortal_.

But he does not understand _how_. He remembers well his last battle, how he had been bested yet _again_ and sealed away – not in a world of nothingness, but in an endless sleep. He had dreamed, yes, and caught glimpses of the outside world through them. But he was awakened abruptly, and from that alone knows The Promised Day has not come once more.

Something _else_ is the cause, then, some other magic he does not know.

This infuriates him. “Who _dares_ summon me in this manner?” he snarls, drawing up to his full – in this wretched excuse for a body – height.

His words are a signal, it seems, and the lights that click on without warning blind him for a few humiliating seconds. It takes far too long for his human eyes to adjust, but as they do he realizes that he is standing before some manner of stage.

A spotlight illuminates a figure standing in the center of it. It is dressed in a mockery of Ling Dynasty nobility, an overly-ornate robe covering its body and arms in shades of deep indigo. It wears a mask, a golden one in the semblance of a dragon, and looks down at him unflinchingly.

“A welcome return, oh Honorable Ancestor,” it says, and he can sense the mocking smile in its voice – not to mention that it is obviously being altered, though to his continued frustration he cannot tell if it is by magic or some manner of 'technology'. “I trust you are well rested?” The figure speaks in neither Chinese nor English, but rather a form of Japanese – an unexpected realization, but not a pertinent one.

“Spare me your meaningless pleasantries,” he snaps. “Who are you? What have you done to me?”

The figure shakes it head and tuts, the smugness it radiates despite its mask causing his rage to boil. “All in due time, oh Honored One. Simply-”

“ANSWER ME!” he roars, the sound feeble in his mind but the best his current body can produce. On instinct he prepares to rush the stage, grab the object of his ire, _kill_ -

And then he realizes he cannot move.

The figure _laughs_. “You really have no sense of gratitude, do you? And after I went to all the trouble to free you, too. Oh, certainly, you no longer possess your original form, but at least I was able to provide you a body you've _used_ before, have I not?”

Unable to bite or bite back, he has little to do but confirm, to the best of his ability, a certain _familiarity_ in his current limbs. It disgusts him. “How?” he spits, and for a moment he is surprised he is still able to speak. So long as he has his tongue, he knows he has power.

Another irritating head-wag. “I'm afraid it would be quite foolish to give away _that_ little secret, oh Honorable Ancestor. All you need to know is that you are, effectively, human now, and that you will obey _me_.”

The command forced a change in him, his body bending down onto one knee without his own volition. Though his body is still, his mind and spirit seethe with rage – it is _beyond_ humiliation; for a demon of _his_ caliber to be forced to bow down to is nothing short of disgrace and travesty.

He will ensure his would-be Master's death is excruciating.

But that is for the future. For the present, he must bide his time and wait for an opportunity to present itself, as he knows it will.

“Very well,” he makes himself hiss through clenched teeth, his voice naturally becoming more appeasing with each word. “I see you are wise enough to keep one such as I on the tightest leash available. May I at least inquire as to your purpose in summoning me in this manner?” He waits a moment, and adds, “And what to _call_ you, of course.”

The figure laughs again. “And there is your silver tongue, as expected,” it says, and it irritates him that he has been seen through so easily by a being he knows nothing about. “But still, I really _do_ need to answer some things, don't I? The long and short of it is simple: I am the King of Darkness, and I have brought you back into the world as a test.”

“A... _test_?” he asks, genuinely confused. The figure (a male, apparently?) and his grandiose title are nothing he has not experienced before, but he had expected to be made into an advisor, or champion, or some other thing befitting his power, experience, and knowledge. “A test of what?”

He can almost _feel_ the so-called 'King of Darkness' grinning beneath his mask. He has clearly been waiting for this moment, and with well-practiced flourish turns aside and motions behind him. The wall – a curtain, he now realizes – parts to reveal what a small part of the back of his mind concludes to be the current form of the motion-picture technology that came into existence during his time as a statue. It is not magic, but mere images projected onto a screen.

The remainder of his mind is trying desperately to comprehend what, exactly, he is being shown.

“Why, a test of whether or not you and your ilk, demon sorcerers from ancient times who once stood astride this world as its rightful rulers, can thrive and flourish in the modern age!”

The scenes are short, and come rapidly. The cityscapes he sees are little different from what he's seen before, and they are still infested with the vermin that called itself humanity, but...

There were _others_ now. He doesn't know what kind of monsters or demons they are, even after recognizing that he'd seen similar creatures in his fleeting dreams. Their forms are varied, but not varied _enough_ , and what is most perplexing is that they seemed to be neither servants nor masters of the humans around them but rather _equals_. It is ludicrous, and it makes him wonder if what he is seeing is the truth at all and not just as much a deception as the 'King of Darkness' showing it to him.

Several scenes show monsters destroying things or spreading terror, but any pleasure he could draw from that is quickly muted by the realization that what he is seeing is little different than the sort of crimes the thugs he'd once been forced to rely on had committed. And to add to the absurdity, it seems that there exist a considerable number of eccentrically-dressed do-gooders, both human and otherwise, who used various magics to combat and contain those who would act in the name of evil.

He is broken from his attempts to make sense of the images by a sigh from the King of Darkness; it is the pointedly overdramatic sigh of someone feigning disappointment that the target of their mockery had failed to meet unmeetable expectations. “I can see you don't believe the presentation I worked so hard to make for you,” he says. “I suppose I shouldn't fault you for it, not when the world has changed so much since you last saw it. Why, you were sealed away sixty _years_ before the first person with a Quirk was born!”

It's all part of the show, clearly, but he can't help but be intrigued by the King's usage of the word 'quirk'. It doesn't _quite_ make sense to him.

The King sighs again, now facing the screen as the scenes begin to repeat. “Well, no matter. You'll see the truth of things soon enough. But,” he turns back around sharply, the curtain swinging back down behind him, “I am a busy King and as such I would prefer to send you on your way as quickly as possible. But to do that, I need you to understand _exactly_ what the first part of my little test is. To wit...” He lifts his arms and snaps his fingers, and the sound of lights switching on rings out from behind.

He turns around, and sees something impossible illuminated by another row of stage lights and protected by a glass case.

It is a monument – a wall-sized slab of stone with what appears to be the forms of eight demons carved into it.

And it is _the_ monument, the magical relic he knows instinctively to be the form he and his brothers and sisters took when they were sealed away, for the final time, by those accursed _Chans_. He can see the holes in each of their forms, representing the powers that were forcibly stripped from them.

But he can see himself in there as well, and that _should not be possible_. And because of it, he finds himself inexorably drawn to the monument, to his glorious true form he knows must still be sealed within.

“Stop.” But then comes the command; both his body and the lights illuminating the display shut off before he can even finish reaching out his arm.

After a moment, once the image of what he's seen fades from his eyes – but not his mind – he turns around to face his captor, his master. “I trust you understand what your first task entails?” the King asks.

“Finding and retrieving the magical artifacts formed from the fragments of my siblings' powers,” he answers without hesitation or doubt, “and freeing them as I _myself_ have been freed.” _And then make that freedom true_ , he adds in his thoughts.

The King of Darkness nods, then flicks a sleeve-covered hand his direction. His breath catches when he sees twelve small objects fly out of it. They clatter to the floor in front of him, and he wastes no time in scrambling, desperately, towards the nearest one in bitter hope that they are what he thinks.

He picks up the first one, and feels a familiar warmness to it. It is a small, octagonal piece of stone, with the image of a Chinese dragon etched into one side. It is real, and he knows the other eleven are similar – though each with a different image, one for each animal of the Chinese zodiac.

The _talismans_.

 _His_ talismans.

“What are-?” he tries to ask, eyes wide, looking up at the King even as he clutches to the Dragon as tightly as he can.

“Consider them a gift,” the King answers. “I am a generous master, oh Honorable Ancestor. It would not do to thrust your new, Quirkless body into the world without at least a _fraction_ of your power.”

A wicked grin spreads on Shendu's face, the talisman fusing with his palm as its magic began to flow through him. “Many thanks, oh mighty King...”


	2. Start Line

Indou Youko stands at the gates of U.A. High School, the most prestigious hero school in all of Japan, if not the world, and drinks in the grandeur of it. Two – no,  _ four _ – tall towers of glass and steel with connecting bridges between each one, its windowed walls reflect every cloud in the sky. Most trees on the grounds are bare of leaves and the February air is quite chilly, so she thinks it'll be a much more impressive sight in the spring, but even still she can hardly believe that she is actually  _ here _ . A sign next to the entrance marks it as the exam location, and with so many students in so many different uniforms heading into it on a Sunday morning, there can be no mistake about it.

“Move it, dumbass.” A sharp voice and a jolt at her side snap her out of her thoughts, though, as one of the other examinees bumps into her in what she assumes was an extremely deliberate manner. He is a boy, of course, with spiky blonde hair, who gives her a harsh glare in the brief moment of eye contact between them which she returns in kind. He snorts and looks away, and it is only after a few seconds of spiteful stubbornness that Youko decides to finally step across the threshold. She does not like the idea of him having 'made' her get moving.

He is An Asshole, she decides, and she hopes he fails the exam.

Her mood is spoiled a bit, but she tries not to let it get to her. Everyone else around her seems calm, or at least not openly stressed. Some are excited, and a handful are chatting with what Youko assumes are their friends. She spots Asshole, who is a fast walker, pass by some nervous-looking kid with messy green hairs who freaks out at the sight of him. He must have said something assholeish to him, she decides.

Then Green Hair trips, only for a passing girl to grab – no,  _ touch _ – his backpack, which makes him stop in mid-air ( _ Nice quirk, _ Youko thinks,) and freak out even more. She sets him back down, and as Youko walks closer she sees that the girl has a cute smile, too. Which makes her smile.

A nice girl with a good quirk and the ability to think quickly? She's definitely Hero material, and Youko hopes she passes.

Floaty Girl leaves, Green Hair starts laughing like an idiot, and Youko isn't alone in staring at the kid. She doesn't know what his deal is, but doesn't really care. She doesn't expect to see him again in the future.

She puts them from her mind as she enters the building, glad to be inside once more – no matter her coat, or leggings, or longer-than-average skirt, Youko did not like the cold. But she cannot savor the heat; the hall is much more crowded as students bustle about trying to find where they're supposed to go, and she has to make sure she's following the right signs as well.

But soon enough the signs for the Hero Course Exam Orientation lead her to a large auditorium. Check-in tables are set up in the hall outside; Youko presents her exam ticket, gets it verified, and receives a few printouts detailing the rules and set-up of the practical exam.

It only takes a quick glance to confirm her fears, and she enters the auditorium in a gloom as dark as it.

* * *

It feels like forever before all the Hero Course examinees finish filing into the room and taking their seats; the room is giant, and Youko cannot guess how many people are in it. She recognizes nobody around her and isn't surprised by it; her school is small and in the countryside, and she's pretty sure she's the only one in her year that applied to the U.A. Hero Course.

The sudden appearance of the U.A. logo on the massive screen that takes up the back wall causes a hush to fall, and a series of stage lights turning on marks the start –  _ finally _ – of orientation.

“What's up, U.A. candidates? Thanks for tunin' in to me, your school DJ!” The voice that appears center-stage, a Pro Hero with long blonde hair in a single upturned spike, isn't one that Youko recognizes offhand. “C'mon, and lemme hear ya!” And by the stony silence that follows his introduction, she isn't alone.

“Keepin' it mellow, huh? That's fine, I'll skip right to the main show.” He doesn't seem to have liked the reaction, but Youko can't bring herself to care. She's just glad he's not making them wait. “Let's talk about how this Practical Exam's gonna go down, okay? ARE YOU READYYY~? Yeah!”

Again, silence.

“Like your applications said,” he continues unabated, “today you _rockin_ ' boys and girls will be out there conducting 10 minute mock battles in _super-hip_ urban settings!” The logo on the screen behind him spins around, turning into a simplified map of the campus with the main building in the center and seven pathways radiating out from it connecting to colored squares labeled A through G. “Gird your loins, my friends! After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified Battle Center, sound good?”

A quick glance at her exam ticket tells Youko that she's at Battle Center D.

“OKAY?!” The DJ calls, having received no response once more. Everyone is too busy seeing which center they got, and checking with the friends sitting around them. Youko can only see disappointed looks, however, and guesses that most of them didn't get the same center as their classmates – probably on purpose, now that she thinks about it. It doesn't make a difference to her either way, though, so she turns her attention back to the outdated DJ trying to look cool.

The map disappears, replaced by a simple 'city' graphic. “Okay okay, let's check out your targets,” the DJ says, silhouettes of the opponents Youko has been dreading appearing on screen one by one along with their associated point values. “There are  _ three _ types of faux villains in every Battle Center. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely! Your  _ goal _ in this trial is to use your Quirk to raise your score by  _ shredding _ these faux-villains like a mid-song guitar solo!” A video game-like animatic, its graphics so retro they belonged in a museum, accompanies this part of the explanation; sprite-DJ walks down the sprite-street, destroying each sprite-villain he comes across and the score in the upper-right corner ticking up an appropriate amount each time.

“Buuut check it! Make sure you're keepin' things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no-no, ya dig?”

That particular rule had worried her a little when she'd first heard about it, as her Quirk was technically in a gray area where that was concerned. But the officials she'd talked to about it had reassured her that so long as she wasn't using her Quirk with intent to harm them, it would be allowed.

Youko takes a breath to steady herself, and then some kid in another section of seats interrupts the presentation. “Excuse me, sir, but I have a question,” he stands and says in a tone of voice that Youko can't help but find annoying.

Still, the DJ doesn't seem to mind. “Hit me!” he calls, pointing at the boy – a spotlight soon turns on above him.

“On the printout, you've listed _four_ types of villains, not three,” the Interrupter says. “With all respect, if this is an error on official U.A. materials, it is _shameful_. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake such as this won't do.”

Youko is dumbfounded by how full-of-himself the boy is; he assumes it's a mistake on the school's part when the presentation isn't even over? For all he knows, the school DJ or whatever was just about to explain that! How does a kid like that expect to become a Pro Hero?

“Additionally,” Interrupter continues, turning around and thrusting a finger at some unseen kid in one of the rows above him, “you with the unkempt hair! You've been muttering this entire time. _Stop that_. If you can't bother to take this seriously, leave! You're distracting the rest of us.”

_ You're the one distracting us! _ Youko thinks at Pedantic Hardass as a few of the examinees laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“Alright alright,” the DJ says, thankfully taking control of the situation, “Examinee #7111! Thanks for callin' in with your request!” On cue, the silhouette of the fourth villain appears on-screen. “The _fourth_ villain type is worth _zero_ points! That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way.”

The animatic returns, showing sprite-DJ coming across the last type of villain and running away. “There's one in every Battle Center; think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid! It's not that it can't be beaten, buuuut there's kinda no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it, focus on the ones toppin' the chart!

“Thank you very much,” Pedantic Hardass says, bowing. “Please, continue.” He sits, and the spotlight shuts off.

“That's all I got for you today,” the DJ says. “I'll sign-off with a little present: a sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes. Mm-hmm, now that's a tasty soundbite! You ready to go beyond?” he asks, the motto appearing behind him. “Let's hear a _Plus Ultra!_ ”

Silence. Youko herself is barely paying attention now; the quote he gave is a surprisingly good one, and something she knows she has to take to heart if she wants to pass this exam.

“Good luck! Hope ya practiced hitting more than just books!”

* * *

With the orientation over the examinees begin to file out, sorted by proctors according to their Battle Center and led to the row of buses that will take them to the testing sites. Youko spends the ride to Center D the best way she can: by preparing for the exam.

The robots, as she has long dreaded, are going to be a problem for her. It's not that she's bad in combat, of course, but rather that she's best against demons and spirits first and foremost, humans and animals second.

But robots are not alive, and so by their very nature do not possess any  _ chi _ . And an opponent without  _ chi _ is an opponent that Youko cannot use her Quirk on.

Which is why she must rely on the 'hand' she has been dealt; that is to say, the prospective students taking the exam at the same Battle Center as she is. They, willingly or not, must be the source of her Quirk's power today.

She takes a seat as far back in the bus as she can, to better watch the others and guess at their Quirks. It is a skill she has been trying to get good at lately, because she knows it will be important to her, but it is not easy.

Many of the others have animal heads, or obvious non-base body parts, or support gear that they proudly display, and it is fairly simple to work out what they can do from that alone. But many more are base-type humans like herself, and unless they give any hints or demonstrations then she will have to consider them wildcards for the time being. She expects to see what they can do very quickly once the exam begins.

But until then, she can only take comfort in that which she knows she has. The rules allow for the use of approved support items, of course, as well as the use of any magic the examinee can legally use. For most, this would extend only so far as magic items that have been approved by the International Confederation of Wizards in much the same way that technological support gear is accredited. But Youko has her PL 1, allowing her the use of a number of low-ranking spells. Most won't be of much help, of course – spells to combat robots do exist, but they're at a higher rank as most apprentice wizards shouldn't ever have to fight that sort of enemy – but she's brought the ingredients for a few that might come in handy, as well as a few for emergencies.

Still, though, she knows the Practical Exam is meant to assess one's potential in Quirk-based combat, and so it wouldn't be good for her to rely too much on the spells waiting in the messenger bag she has slung across her shoulder.

That is why she has her stick with her. It is the remnant of a tree that once stood near her family home; it was struck by lightning during a bad storm three years ago, but while her parents had feared it would crush the house instead it fell away from it. Master Yau had called it a good omen, and had Youko find the strongest bough and take it as her 'walking stick'. She has kept it with her at all times since then, training with it, caring for it, and infusing it with her _chi_.

Even with her Quirk it will take years before it becomes a weapon on the level of those in the stories Master Yau tells, but it has still become strong enough to crush rocks with. She doesn't know how well it will fare against whatever high-tech monstrosities U.A. has prepared, but it will be her best hope if she can't find a good Quirk.

And all too soon, they arrive at Battle Center D. From afar it almost looks like a normal city block, so much so that Youko mistakenly believes that the Battle Center is off-campus, but the tall buildings begin too abruptly, and are walled off – clearly, this is the urban setting that was spoken of.

“Wow, do they seriously have _seven_ of these places?” she murmurs to herself after following the rest of the group off the bus and getting a better look around. “This is ridiculous!” From what she hears from the crowd around her, she is far from alone in her sentiment.

But she cannot let herself be distracted too much. She has to get a good place for when the exam starts, right behind a couple boys she thinks have promise. They don't notice her, too focused on the immensity of the city in front of them and how many billions of yen it must have cost to build. In fact, she decides, perhaps it would be best to get it out of the way now, while she has the chance...

“RIGHT, LET'S START!”

An all-too familiar voice gives her pause, just as she was reaching out to touch the nearest examinee. Surprisingly, though, the DJ isn't speaking from nearby or even from a loudspeaker – no, he seems to be standing on top of a tall tower back on the edge of the main part of campus, in what Youko realizes must be a central location to all the Battle Centers.

“GET MOVING!”

Oh, shit. Youko looks back, and just barely spots the open gate to the city behind the crowd. Only a few of them have noticed, more and more of them by the second, and Youko has to move quickly before she's too late...

“THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL BATTLES!”

The whole group is running now, and Youko herself is several steps into the Battle Center, but she's made a grave miscalculation – she's not as fast of a runner relative to the other examinees as she thought, and with everyone moving as fast as they can there's no time for her to touch one of them long enough to grab a usable amount of _chi_.

“RUN, RUN, RUN LISTENERS! YOU'RE _WASTING_ AIR TIME HERE!”

The words carry for miles, but Youko is deaf to them. She's already unsheathed her walking stick from the simple straps that hold it, and is adjusting her strategy – no, forming an entirely _new_ one – on the fly.

She's near the back of the group, and can already see that most of those in front of her intend to just charge down the main road they're on and attack any villain in sight. If she tries to do the same in hopes of grabbing some _chi_ from one of the front-runners, it'll cost her far too much time.

It almost seems counterintuitive to what she had planned, but she decides to split off onto the first side street she sees. And if some of the others realize her plan and follow her? All the better for her if her stick doesn't turn out to be good enough.

Her strategy pays off immediately, in the form of a robot waiting just a few meters away, out of sight from the main road. It is tall and green and almost humanoid, save for the single thick wheel where its legs would be. The large '1' painted on each of its armor-plated arms marks it as the weakest kind of fake villain, and Youko prepares herself for her first test.

It notices her immediately and charges; she vaguely registers some sort of simulated speech coming from it, but she ignores it. It's just a robot, and an enemy to boot, all she really needs to do is sidestep its charge and swing her stick with all her might, hoping the robot breaks first.

She hits it straight across the midsection, and to her shock it crumples and tears like a very large pop can. “The hell...?” she says without thinking, staring at the remains of her first point in disbelief, but there's no time to think now, other people are in the side street now, and so are other robots, running and rolling and she has to keep moving too...

Three more 1-pointers fall to her stick just as easily as the first, before she comes upon her first 2-pointer. It's a bit bigger than the runts, a quadruped with a scorpion-like 'tail' arcing over its back. She swings her walking stick at the nearest leg, hoping to take it off balance, but the armor plating only dents and doesn't break – they're much tougher than the 1-pointers, and Youko swears.

It doesn't let her have a break, raising its tail to strike. In a bit of inspiration Youko darts _closer_ , getting under the neck where the robot doesn't seem able to reach, and thrusts the pointier end of her stick upward into where the head meets the neck. It pierces through, and grabbing her weapon with two hands she manages to rip the head off entirely.

“Six points,” she says, her breath heavy as she scrambles away from the collapsing robot. She assesses the situation as quickly as she can, but it's looking grim – more examinees seem to have joined them, and are taking out most of the robots she can see. She's getting tired, but they make it look so _easy_ – one kid is slipping around and under the robots, doing something to stick them to the pavement so that their motors (or whatever) break when they try to move; a blonde boy is whooping and hollering as he zaps the stupid things with electricity; a girl with silver hair is effortlessly throwing bits and pieces of the already-destroyed robots at the remaining ones using her Quirk.

Nobody is close enough for Youko to touch, and if she tries to chase one it'll only cost her time and points.

She _has to keep moving._

She charges down the next robot she sees, another 2-pointer. She's learned her lesson this time, and ignores the legs and even the neck – there's three patches on its 'chest' that have the same look and soft red glow as their eyes, and goes for them instead. Putting a bit more of her own _chi_ into her stick for good measure, she thrusts into the lights as deeply as she can and wiggles her weapon with as much force as she can muster; she can feel the wires and such tearing inside it, and the 2-pointer soon collapses, motionless.

“Eight,” she says, getting past her fallen foe and looking for the next target.

She almost doesn't hear it in time, only just swinging around to catch the hand of the 3-pointer with her stick before it slams down on her. The last type of enemies seem to be built like armored cars, the speed of the 1-pointers combined with the durability of the 2s, and a good amount of extra power too. It's all Youko can do to stay standing as it tries to force her down; she knows she needs to dart out, let it unbalance itself, and strike at a weak point, but she can't figure out _where_ , the head is guarded and there's no exposed neck...

A loud crash, and Youko has to quickly cover her mouth and look away as something – no, some _one_ – falls onto the 3-pointer, crushing it. It's another examinee, she sees, an incredibly muscular boy with spiky hair who looks to have jumped down from somewhere and taken out the robot with a single punch.

Annoyingly, he smiles when he sees her looking at him. “Sorry for stealing your kill like that,” he says. “It just looked like you were having some trouble.” And then he jumps off the wrecked villain, apparently intent on conversing with her.

Youko lets herself smile, but keeps makes it thankful rather than sly – she's just found someone useful, provided she chooses her words right. “Thanks,” she tells him, adding a sigh for good measure. “I don't think I could have taken it out alone. I'm not that strong.”

“Hey, you got this far, y'know?” the boy says. “Keep goin'! I saw you handle the other robots pretty good. You got some kinda, uh, object reinforcement Quirk, right?”

“It's... more like copying, actually,” she admits. The boy is briefly shocked, and Youko isn't surprised because he doesn't really sound all that smart to her. Good. She puts on a smile that's more apologetic than she really feels and cute enough to make her guilty about it, and extends her hand. “You mind if I borrow your super strength for a bit? I could really use the boost.”

She knows there's really no reason for the kid to agree. Objectively, it's not a smart decision – there can only be so many villains in this place, and helping someone else take them out means fewer points for yourself. But Muscles, after only a few seconds of thinking, smiles and says “Sure!”

Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a rather large cube of sugar, which is more than unexpected. “Here,” he says, tossing it to her (Youko has to move her stick to the crook of her elbow to catch it in that hand), “you'll need this.” Then he grabs the hand she'd extended, five fingers touch, and she activates her Quirk: Chi Manipulation.

The first stage of draining another human's _chi_ , the magical life energy that exists in all living things, is personality transfer. It takes very little _chi_ to accomplish this, and thus happens almost instantly; Youko has to focus to keep hold of her own 'self' during the influx of foreign energy, and even that is imperfect. Fortunately Muscles' _chi_ is nothing she hasn't felt before; she feels much more confident, but still humble, and has a strong taste for sugar.

The second stage is physical transformation. Youko's hair, what isn't bound by braid or bow, becomes spikier; her lips fuller, nose rounder, muscles more toned, before, finally, she feels the familiar tingle of a new Quirk. It's simple and requires no major transformation to her existing body, and thus arrives quickly; she releases her hold on Muscles the moment she can feel it, because the third stage of draining another human's chi would probably disqualify her from the exam, and what's beyond that she never wants to experience again in her life.

“Sorry,” she tells Muscles, genuinely this time, because even though she only took the bare minimum she needed it was still a part of his _life force_. She knows damn well what he's feeling right now. “The dizziness should fade in a couple seconds. Good luck!” She gives him a pat on the shoulder while he's still momentarily dazed, then runs off because the Exam is still going on around them.

“SIX MINUTES AND TWO SECONDS LEFT!” the DJ announces suddenly.

_Weird time, but okay,_ Youko thinks. The street is littered with wrecked robots, but with the extra energy she just got she feels more than well enough to keep running in search of more. She rounds a corner and finds a large pack being assaulted by another few kids; she speeds up, and taps into the understanding of his powers that came with Muscles' chi.

_Sugar equals power, but don't overdo it._ It was simple enough, and explained the sugar cube he gave her, so she shoves it in her mouth without delay and feels the power _surge_ through her. A couple 1-pointers spot her and charge, and she charges right back.

And then, on a confident whim (because why would she be worried right now?), she decides to launch a flying kick at the lead one, which sends it flying back into another 1-pointer, wrecking them both. Her momentum and instincts (are they hers or Muscles'?) carries her forward, into a roll, back on her feet, charging the next robots.

A 2-pointer is next; a swing of her staff cuts off a leg easily, letting her step closer, swing her stick back around, and smash a massive gouge in the thing's body. 12 points.

Another 1-pointer gets batted aside like a fly, 13 points, and then she comes upon another 3-pointer.

She grins confidently, jumps, and stabs her walking stick into the thing's back. That alone is enough to force it to the ground, but it's still moving its arms, so she tears her stick free only to jab it straight through the head. 16 points, and she's feeling great.

“Hey!” Someone shouts at her, and she looks up to see it's the two kids who had been gotten to this pack first; one looks like a panda and the other one has some kinda screwdriver fingers.

She gives them a cheeky grin. “Sorry for stealing your kills like that, dudes! Good luck on the rest of the exam!” And then she's off, because this part of the city is clear of robots and she still needs more points.

But the clock keeps ticking, and all she finds is more wreckage and other examinees catching their breath. She notices that a good number of fake storefronts are trashed, too, and realizes that a good number of robots must have been hiding in building waiting to ambush passing kids. So she looks around and spots a place that looks relatively intact and heads towards it in hopes of finding more, a pair of 2-pointers burst out to greet her, and...

Another crash, a 3-pointer gets sent flying into a building, and part of the wall collapses.

The guy who got the kill is caught in it, and gets pinned under a large chunk of concrete.

_Shit, shit, shit!_ Youko thinks, stopping in her tracks as her mind frantically changes gears. _I gotta help him, I'm the only wizard here!_

Because the usual role of an apprentice wizard during combat was simple: your Master will handle the bulk of the fighting, so make sure any civilians get to safety and _stay_ safe. And part of _that_ was first aid, because you couldn't always be certain when – or even _if_ – emergency responders would show up. First aid certification was a crucial part of earning your PL1, and Indou Youko was the only PL1 around.

She ignores the 2-pointers and stows her stick and makes a beeline for the cloud of dust that is already beginning to settle, but makes her mind focus not on the path she is taking but rather inwards, to her mind and her _chi_. She'll need a clear mind for what she is about to do, and so even though she knows she still has some time left with Muscles' Quirk active, she needs to get rid of his _chi_. She focuses on it, feels it, and gathers it to her mouth. But she can't separate from it quite yet, not fully, because she still needs the strength boost for one last thing.

She slides to a stop in front of the rubble and assesses the situation: the biggest piece of concrete is on top, with the victim lying on his side pinned underneath. Her choice is obvious; with a grunt of effort she lifts the concrete and throws it onto a pile of robots (unwittingly crushing a 3-pointer that hadn't quite been finished off by its previous assailant), then clears away a few smaller pieces of rubble that were underneath to give herself full access to the victim.

Only then does she separate from Muscles' _chi_ , forcing it out through her salivary glands and spitting the large glob that resulted onto the ground. It was gross, but getting rid of _chi_ was a lot more difficult than draining it, and spit was the most efficient method she's figured out so far.

She closes her eyes, feeling her body and mind go back to normal, and then she turns and assesses the situation for real.

Teenage boy, base-type body, his fashionably-styled hair ruffled and his expensive-looking clothing torn. He's conscious, propped up on his right arm and coughing. There's blood on the side of his head that was on the ground, a cut but it doesn't look serious. More importantly, one of his feet is twisted at a painful-looking angle and it doesn't look like he can move his left arm.

“Ergh... wha...?” the boy says, wincing in pain once he finishes coughing.

“My name is Indou Youko, I'm an apprentice wizard, I'm here to help,” she recites. She touches his left shoulder gingerly, just enough to confirm the wetness of blood; who knows how many cuts and bruises he's received under his clothes.

“Take your hands off me,” he snaps, which at least confirms that his airway isn't blocked. “The great Jasuta Gai does _not_ need your help!”

“Yeah, cool,” Youko says, crouching down to get a better look at his legs – it definitely looks like he has a broken ankle. “I don't think you can walk right now, though. Do you remember what happened to you?”

“Of course Jasuta Gai remembers what happened!” he replies, but goes silent for a moment afterwards. “Uhhhh...”

Concussion is a 'maybe', Youko decides. “A bit of wall fell on you. Looks like your right ankle got messed up, along with your left arm. Can you move either of them for me?”

He tries, winces, fails. “Okay then. Do you remember who I am?”

“...Uhhh, you're a wizard, right?” he finally answers, and it seems he's realized his situation.

“That's right. Now,” she hates asking this, it's so stupid, but the kid is conscious and so she has a legal obligation to do so, “do you have any objections to magical healing?”

“Uh, no?” he answers, sounding more annoyed than uncertain, which is good.

“Awesome.” Youko begins rooting around in her bag; she (stupidly) didn't bring a full first aid kit, but she does have a spell she can use, and she does have a wash cloth and an unopened bottle of water she can use to clean some of his cuts. “Now, I can't heal everything, but I _will_ fix you up enough so that the breaks are the only thing you have to worry about.”

“Okay, just, be quick with it, would you?” he tells her.

She finishes mixing the ingredients for her 'Heal' spell – it's really only a basic first aid spell meant just for minor stuff, but it's all she has – and pulls out the most important component, the dried pufferfish that serves as both 'vessel' and 'wand'. Then she pulls out the washcloth and wets it, clearing the blood and dirt from any cuts she can find.

“It will be done when it is done,” she quotes her Master as she works. The preparation complete, she finally begins to work her magic.

“ _Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao. Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao. Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao._ ” The chant is ancient, and in Cantonese; it's meaning hardly applies to first aid, but the magical tradition she and Master Yau are a part of have long used it as a sort of catch-all for any spell that doesn't require a specialized incantation. A green glow encompasses the pufferfish as she waves it over the boy; it spreads out over him, and the cut on his head closes up before her very eyes. She wills the spell to continue, more _chi_ of the ingredients converting into magic and ensuring that every cut, scrape, and bruise on the boy's body is fixed.

When she finally feels it can do no more, she lets the spell end and puts away the fish. She checks him over to confirm her work, and indeed all that visibly remains are the broken ankle – though she cannot discount the possibility of other breaks or fractures. “Okay, looks like I've done all I can. What still hurts?”

“My foot. My shoulder,” the boy says, gritting his teeth.

Youko nods. “Right. Let's see if we can get you somewhere safer to wait, okay?” She gets around to his other side and helps him to his feet, though he almost falls again when he stupidly puts weight on his broken ankle. “Careful now,” she tells him. “Keep leaning on me. I'll get you somewhere safer.”

“R-right...” he mumbles, and the pair start moving.

It is only then that Youko realizes she is being watched; several of the others are standing around staring at her in confusion or apprehension. She wonders if they really don't know what's going on, or if they're working up the courage to ask her for a quick heal, or what.

And _then_ she remembers that the Practical Exam is still going on, and that she just spent several minutes helping someone instead of getting points. Which leaves her feeling... conflicted. She knows that she did the right thing, but it doesn't _feel_ right when she also knows it probably cost her her chance at getting in to the Hero Course.

_I can't do anything about it now,_ she decides. _Maybe I'll still have time to score some points later, but for now I just need to-_

All hell breaks lose. First a few explosions, then a small earthquake, and finally a whole _lot_ of screaming as an _absolutely massive behemoth of a robot_ rises up in what must be (st least close to) the central thoroughfare of the city.

“Holy _shit_ ,” Youko says. She can feel her charge trembling not from pain but from terror.

The 0-pointer, the one meant to be an obstacle to be avoided and nothing more, has finally arrived.

She watches in horror as it punches _something_ ( _Please don't be a person,_ she thinks), which raises a huge cloud of dust that manages to reach even their parallel side street.

Someone screams, and the nearby examinees scatter; a small majority flee in the direction of the Battle Center's entrance, but all of them run _away_ from the scene, and Youko can feel her charge trying to follow suit.

“Shit. Shit. Shit,” she mutters, unable to do anything else but help the kid hobble to safety. She's worried that someone might have been injured just by that _thing_ appearing, and wants desperately to rush _to_ the scene rather than _away_. But she _can't_ , she's responsible for someone, she can't leave him alone right now.

“LESS THAN TWO MINUTES REMAINING!”

Unfortunately, that latest announcement makes the matter moot – she almost certainly would have no time to sprint over to the wreckage _and_ help whatever victims there may be before the Exam ends. It stings her pride to be unable to help, but all she can do right now is what she _can_ do.

And fortunately, she spots safety soon as two of the other examinees – a silver-haired girl she vaguely recalls seeing earlier, and more surprisingly Muscles – stepping out of one of the buildings a robot had likely been hiding in. He spots Youko and her charge, tells the girl, and waves them over; Youko makes a beeline for them, though she has to prod the hesitant boy to do so as well.

“Must we?” he says. “Surely we can find somewhere to rest on our own.”

“Yeah, probably,” Youko tells him, unerringly making her way towards Muscles – who himself is coming to meet them part way. “But why the hell would we if they've already found somewhere safe? It's stupid.”

He doesn't make any more protests, or at least none that Youko pays attention to, and before they know it Muscles and the silver-haired girl have joined up with them, and Muscles is taking the other side of the kid Youko's helping, whatever his name is.

“Hey, hands off me!” He protests.

“Watch his shoulder, I think there's a fracture,” she tells him, her tone one of command. Muscles listens to her after a second of indecision and a muttered apology, drastically easing the burden Youko is carrying.

“We've found a haven from our enemies,” Silver-Hair tells them, her voice eerily calm as she leads the way. “Many took refuge there upon that titan's appearance.”

“Cool. Any injured?”

Silver-Hair shoots a quizzical look back at Youko. “I am certain there must be, but what of it?”

Youko opens her mouth to explain, but the sound of an engine cuts her off – a robot, a 1-pointer, has come out of hiding further up the street to their right and is charging them at top speed.

“Aww crap, there's still more of 'em around here?” Muscles exclaims, sounding oddly tired.

“MINE!” their charge shouts, immediately squirming to free himself – it doesn't work, Youko and Muscles just hold on tighter.

“No, it is not,” Silver-Hair says quietly, darting forward and reaching an arm out towards a pile of wreckage. The severed leg of a 2-pointer lifts by itself – definitely some kind of telekinetic Quirk – and with a flick of Silver-Hair's wrist it shoots down the street, impaling the 1-pointer.

But by now _another_ errant 1-pointer has shown up, charging in from the opposite side, and it seems like Youko is the only one who's noticed; for a split second she is tempted to just shift her burden onto Muscles and claim the point for herself, she needs all that she can get, but the impulse passes just as quickly as it arrived. “Behind you!” she shouts at Silver-Hair, who quickly turns around, 'grabs' another hunk of robot, and flings it at the second attacker to destroy it.

A couple quiet seconds pass, the injured boy in a huff while the other three keep watch for any more villains. None come, and the group makes haste to the damaged storefront that was apparently serving as a makeshift base.

Several people are already there; most of them Youko doesn't recognize, but Panda and Screwdriver-Fingers from earlier scowl when they recognize her, and that blond kid with the electric Quirk is just sort of wandering aimlessly.

Oddly, and distressingly, he seems to have suffered some sort of severe brain damage, going by his vacant expression and slurred, mumbled “Yays”.

“Uhh, can you two take care of this guy?” she tells more than asks, forcing her charge's weight onto Silver-Hair and Muscles even as the boy yawns. “I have work to do.”

She pulls out her pufferfish as she walks, prompting a remark from Silver-Hair. “A magic-user? Odd, I took you for a hopeful student, as the rest of us.”

“No reason I can't be both,” she replies, loudly enough that everyone is now watching her. It's annoying, she doesn't like feeling _judged_ like this, but even if some of them are hoping to pursue magic or are even already apprentices, none of them probably ever expected to meet someone who could legally cast taking the U.A. entrance exam. Jealousy, suspicion, anger; she doesn't want to see any of them on the faces around her right now, so doesn't look anywhere else but the blond boy in front of her.

“Alright, can anyone tell me what happened to this guy?” she asks, loudly again. She's close enough to examine him, or try to anyway as he doesn't seem interested in staying still. He's clearly conscious and breathing just fine, his arms and legs are working, and the only blood she can see is coming from the same minor cuts and scratches that almost all of them probably have. No obvious injury, but something _must_ have happened.

But nobody answers at first, and she ventures a look to see some people watching him (or her?) uncomfortably, others snickering in amusement at Blondie's antics.

“Yeah, I saw it,” says some kid with a triangular head and an irritatingly cocky smirk. “Dumbass got cornered by a bunch of villains and really let loose with his Quirk. He zapped all the robots, but it looks like he fried his _brain_ , too.” He laughs. “How the hell does he expect to become a Hero if he can't even handle his own Quirk?”

A few others chime in or laugh themselves, others look like they want to defend the kid but don't know how, while still others are just sitting around looking extremely uncomfortable.

“That doesn't matter,” Youko states, loud and clear. “He did his best, just like the rest of us. If you can't respect that, then get the hell out so I can work without distraction.”

Triangle looks like he wants to argue, but Youko cuts him off by starting the chant. “ _Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao... Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao... Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao..._ ”

The room fell silent except for her words, the magic still in the pufferfish getting put to work once again. In seconds Blondie's cuts and scrapes had vanished, and it is clear that Youko can do no more. She wipes her brow, and smiles. “So, how do you feel?”

“Yay~!” the boy says, dull as ever, thumbs locked in the upright position.

Youko's brow twitches, and she sighs. “Well, whatever he did to himself is still in effect,” she announces, silently hoping that it isn't permanent, “but the rest of him is good as new.” She turns around to address the rest of the group, or at least those that hadn't annoyed her, and grins. “Who's next?”

“TIIIIIIIIME'S UUUUUUUUUPPP!!!!” The DJ's sudden shout is followed by the sound of a siren, and for the most part it seems like it blows the tension in the room away entirely.

For Youko, though, it just causes her spirits to drop. The Practical Exam is over, and as far as she knows she's only scored 16 points. That cannot possibly be enough to pass, to get into U.A. like she's dreamed of for so long.

But even though many of the others are already leaving their little shelter, the ones with visible injuries linger, and Youko knows she has to steel herself to the pain and do her duty as an apprentice wizard. She looks them over, weighing the injuries she can see against how much healing she has left in her 'wand'...

“Excuse me?” A new voice, an adult woman, cuts through the room, and all eyes turn to look at her. She's standing at the entrance of their shelter, and is dressed like a field medic. “We'll be treating the injured nearby. Are all of you able to move?”

* * *

Youko explains the situation with Blondie and the kid with the broken leg, as well as her initial assessments (guesses, really) about the others, and offers her assistance to the medical team. She still wants to help, and getting to at least work alongside U.A. would still mean so much...

She gets a warm smile and a hand on her shoulder in reply. “Thank you for all your hard work, Apprentice Indou. But you need to get some rest too. We'll take it from here.”

It doesn't make her feel any better, but she does as she is told and joins the rest of the group at a camp nearby. Another doctor and a woman wearing the robes of a licensed wizard are there, examining and treating all the examinees. Youko herself is given a clean bill of health, and the other two medical professionals thank her as well.

“You'll make a fine wizard some day, if nothing else,” the magic-user tells her with a smile that is far more optimistic than what Youko needs right now. She thanks the woman, lingers a minute more just in case she is needed, then finally accepts her dismissal alongside everyone else who doesn't require critical attention.

They all file back onto the bus that brought them here; Muscles and Silver-Hair both motion for her to sit with them, but with a handful of people still receiving medical attention there's plenty of empty seats, so Youko takes one of them instead. She's in a hazy sort of funk right now, and doesn't want to talk to anyone. She doesn't want to hear their reassurances, their boasts, their _scores_.

The her that has spent the last eight years training to be a wizard knows she's done nothing wrong, but the her that has dreamed of becoming a Hero feels she's done nothing right.

She doesn't know what to think or feel, and so she does neither.

She runs her fingers along her stick, feeling all the little places where it's been cracked, or scraped, or blunted. It would be trivial to fix it, the ingredients for her 'Mending' spell are still in her bag, but she can't bring herself to cast it right now.

The bus drops them off back at the main part of campus along with the groups from the other Battle Centers; that DJ guy gives them another speech, saying how even though only a few of them would be accepted they should all be proud of themselves, and so on and so forth and Youko just doesn't care. She lost, she failed, and now she just wants to go home.

It will be a long week before the results are sent out.


	3. First Impressions, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I have a chapter today and a chapter tomorrow, though after that there will be another long gap as I've decided not to use any sort of buffer for this series. Meaning that the fourth (proper) chapter will be posted shortly after it's been written and edited.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Indou Youko lies in her bed – the one at her family home, not the one at Master Yau's place. She stares up at the ceiling, its blank whiteness and relative lack of marring both familiar and not. She has slept away from this room more often than not since beginning her apprenticeship, but returned to its comforts nearly a week ago after the U.A. Practical Exam.

She still does not know what she could have done better, could have done to avoid the fate that she is certain she is facing. Perhaps her mistake was thinking she was cut out for that school to begin with. Perhaps she should have just aimed lower and focused solely on magic, as so many people suggested.

If she can't even handle _this_ disappointment, then how could she have ever even become a Hero at all?

The only thing worse than the crushing disappointment she feels is the agony of the wait, the minutes and hours and _days_ of being unable to do anything but sit around, trying to will the results to just hurry up and come already so that she can finally see what she already knows to be true: that she failed. The single, wretched little glimmer of hope that still clings to her heart is _excruciating_. It needs to hurry up and die so that she can finally move on with her life. She can't even bring herself to go online anymore, she knows she's just gonna get bombarded with endless questions about how she did and what it was like, and sent links to where other examinees are sharing their own stories, their own scores.

She knows she won't be able to handle seeing their confidence, and dreads stumbling upon stories about _her_ as seen from other eyes.

And so she lies, alone with herself.

A knock on her door gets her to sit up. “Yeah..?” she says dully, not even a real question. Whether they come in or not, she doesn't really care right now.

The door opens; it's her mother – tall like Youko is, but a bit leaner thanks to years of work. She has the same worried look on her face that she's had since Youko returned home.

“Youko, honey, it's time for lunch,” she says. “I made gyuudon, your favorite~!” she adds with smile and light sing-song.

That earns a smile, at least. She was getting hungry, and a nice big bowl of beef and rice would take her mind off of things for a little while. “Thanks,” she tells her mother, getting up and following her downstairs.

The tantalizing smell of gyuudon greets her, but so does the sound of the television. “-deavor, who intercepted the would-be bank robbers and prevented them from escaping with the stolen cash. The bank's manager thanked the Flame Hero for his work, and told the press that while the villains had destroyed a portion of the front of the building, nobody was seriously harmed in the attack. The bank is expecting to reopen in two or three days, once repairs are finished.”

Both women had paused upon hearing the news; it really wasn't anything major, but it still reminds Youko of the life she will no longer have. “I'm sorry, that was careless of me,” her mother says, hurrying downstairs and changing the channel to some cooking show.

Youko doesn't know what to say; she feels guilty for letting something so mundane get to her, for not being able to snap out of her funk and get back to a normal life. And so she remains silent, plods down to the kitchen, keeps her head low as she sits down at the table and starts eating what her mother has already laid out for her.

She doesn't really notice when her mother sits down across from her. “I know,” she eventually says, hesitant, and Youko can see that she hasn't even touched her own lunch, “I know that you're still not feeling confident about... about how things went. But-” Youko stops eating, she can't focus on it if her mother is going to be talking about this again, her mother knows this and looks _so guilty_ but is forcing herself to continue in spite of it- “I still think you did everything right. So what if you didn't get as many points as some of the other kids,” she's gaining some steam now, some confidence in her own words and actions, “all that means is that the simulation didn't play to your strengths. What matters is that you _acted_ like a hero, and if U.A. can't recognize that then... then I say _they're_ the ones who are wrong!”

Youko still can't say anything, paralyzed by conflicting emotions – one part wants to agree with her mother's hope and confidence, the other stubbornly keeps to the truth she's already accepted. Besides, even if her actions _were_ right, that didn't mean they were _heroic_. She was just doing her job as an apprentice wizard. U.A. knew that, so why would they count some basic first aid stuff towards her score for the Practical Exam? It doesn't make sense to her.

“And even if you _don't_ get accepted,” her mother continues, calming slightly, “well, you know your father is more than willing to pull some strings with _his_ old school. Ketsubutsu may not have the same _prestige_ as U.A., but that doesn't mean their education isn't top-notch. You'll have your shot at becoming a Pro Hero, we'll make sure of it. There's no reason to give up now!”

“I don't...,” Youko says, softly, becoming less hesitant by the second. “I don't want to force a school to accept me as a student just because Dad went there. It isn't right.”

“Then go to a public school for a year, or even just a semester, and then just transfer as soon as you can!”

Youko flushes. “That's practically the same thing!” she says, even though it doesn't feel as true as it should.

“How so?” her mother argues. “It's what you were open to doing with U.A., right?”

“Th-that's different,” she replies, fumbling as she tries to explain. “That's just transferring _within_ U.A., not from school to school. And there's no guarantee it can even happen, I only heard rumors, and anyway I'd be way behind in training, I'd never be able to catch up...”

“Of course you'd be able to catch up! You're incredibly smart, you're a fast learner, and if your stories are anything to go by you've got a level head during combat!”

It's different, it's all _different_ , she is good at _magic_ , understands _magic_ , and is decent at _magical combat_ against demons and spirits. Learning hero stuff, _doing_ hero stuff, fighting against other actual _humans_ with _Quirks_ , it's all so obviously _different_ , but she doesn't know how to make her mother _understand_ , and it's all so vaguely upsetting for reasons _she_ doesn't understand, and...

The front door _SLAMS OPEN_.

“WHERE IS MY INCREDIBLY TALENTED APPRENTICE?”

The Indou women turn their heads in shock, argument and meal forgotten; only a couple meters away down a straight hallway in perfect view of them stands Chi Master Yau in the open doorway, leg still stretched out in front of him even as the door bounces off the wall and starts to swing back shut.

He looks like he's just sprinted all the way from his house.

The three stay frozen, staring, for a few seconds before Master Yau lowers his leg, steps inside before the door closes, and clears his throat. “I apologize,” he finally says, bowing even as he slides off his sandals. “I saw your discussion through the window in the door, and felt the need to interrupt.”

It doesn't really explain anything, not satisfactorily anyway, but before Youko can call him out for it her mother stands. “Well, I wish you would have just entered normally, but what's done is done I suppose. Come in, come in,” she tells him, ushering him further inside, “we were just having lunch. What brings you to our home? Do you already need Youko to return?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Master Yau says, turning to Youko the moment he steps into the kitchen, and it is only then than she notices the envelope he is gripping. “I simply wished to scold my apprentice for giving _my_ address to the schools she applied to, then running back here and hiding so that _I_ would be the one to get all the mail they send her. It was a very foolish mistake.”

Even though he's smiling, Youko can't help but flush with embarrassment. “I, I'm so sorry Master, I didn't even think about that,” she stammers, but she can't take her eyes off the envelope; it's _right there_ and she can see the seal on it and, “Is that... from U.A.?”

“It is indeed,” he says, holding it out to her.

She snatches it away immediately, her eyes wide and hands trembling as she holds it up for a better look. The wax seal is unmistakable, as is her name; her results have finally come, and with them, the truth.

Youko hesitates. Does she really want to see them? To finally get confirmation that her fears have come to pass? (She doesn't let herself dwell on the hope her mother and Master Yau clearly have for them.) But she couldn't _not_ see them. It wouldn't be right. Seeing them would be painful, yes, but it was a pain that she needed to bare.

She takes a deep breath to steady her nerves, opens the envelope, and takes out the holodisc within. And the moment she set it down on the table, it turns itself on.

“I AM HERE, AS A PROJECTION!”

The abruptness of the recording's start is outmatched only by its star in a yellow suit: the greatest Hero in the world, Japan's 'Symbol of Peace', the man even _demons_ feared, All _freaking_ Might himself!

“ _What?!_ ” Youko's shock is echoed by her loved ones, the grandiose theme music rising up in the recording going unnoticed.

After a few seconds of much-needed pause, he continues. “I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here, and the answer to that is simple: _I_ am the newest U.A. faculty member!”

“ _WHAT?!_ ”

All Might nods, evidently having predicted the shock of his announcement. “But, that's not important right now. What's _important,_ Ms. Indou, are your test results.” And just like that, the shock is overcome, and both adults hurry behind Youko to get a better view.

“You passed the written test with flying colors, enough to earn your admission to the General Course if you so choose.” Well, that was at least somewhat expected and it's certainly reassuring to hear that she has a place at U.A. no matter what; it even earns a proud, though light, hug from her mother. But it isn't what any of them are waiting to hear.

“As for the practical exam,” All Might said more somberly, “I'm afraid you only scored 19 combat points in total.” Her brow furrows, confused, but her unspoken question is answered in the form of a quick montage of all the robots she'd destroyed – apparently, she'd crushed another 3-pointer without realizing it. “A great effort, to be sure, but unfortunately it alone is not enough to earn your admission to the Hero Course.”

And, there it was. Even if she'd done slightly better than expected, Youko had still fallen short where it mattered. She feels the weight of hands on her shoulders, her mother and Master Yau both trying to comfort her. She begins to reach for the disc, not feeling the need to watch any more...

...But then All Might's smile returns. “Fortunately, there are other factors involved in the _final_ score.” She looks up, more shock than ever before flooding her, and bringing an almost alien feeling of _hope_ along with it.

He turns to the side, and uses the remote he holds to bring up another video clip – a montage of her changing her path and saving that one kid (what was his name again?), of her warning that Silver-Haired girl about the enemy, of doing her best to help the blonde kid who'd fried his brain.

“Combat ability and the strength of one's Quirk are all well and good, but _actions_ are what make a true Hero. The Practical Exam was not graded on combat alone. And sure, your training in the magical arts certainly influenced the actions you took, but it is important to note that for all their differences, Wizards and Heroes stand united in the goal of helping others, no matter the cost to themselves. And that is what my alma mater is all about: training those who would risk their lives for the greater good.”

“That is why we have Rescue Points! A panel of judges watches, and they award points for heroic acts _beyond_ just fighting villains. First Aid may not be flashy or glamorous, but it is still an integral part of what we do. Indou Youko!”

A new image takes over the projection, a table of the top 10 results including both types of points they'd earned. _There she is._

“ _45 Rescue Points!_ ”

64 in total. Sixth place. Out of however many thousands of people had applied.

_Sixth._

_Place_.

Youko cannot move, cannot speak, she is shaking and crying as the crushing despair of the past week, the weight she had resigned herself to accept, is all blown away by a wave of truth. Her mother is hugging her, sobbing, saying things she can't understand or even hear, and she can feel Master Yau's smile like the warmth of the sun on her back.

Because she was wrong. She has succeeded.

“Welcome, Youko,” All Might tells her. “You have made it. You're now part of the Hero Academia.”

Her path forward is shining clear once again. Nothing will stop her from her dream.

* * *

The astral form of Shendu, Demon-Sorcerer of Fire, flies through the night sky above Japan invisible and undetected. It is a long, wispy thing, more spirit than demon at first glance, but it bears his true face and all its draconic heritage well, and is undeniable proof of who he is.

No magic, no matter how powerful or divine, can alter an astral form – it is the reflection of one's spirit, one's true self. And that alone tells Shendu much about his current predicament.

He had realized quite quickly that he was no mere spirit possessing a mortal man; the body he'd awoken in seemed to have no will of its own to push back against his, and a glance in any mirror would have reflected the truth regardless. For a few fleeting moments he had feared that he was nothing more than some mortal fool who'd been entranced or ensorcelled to believe himself a demon, but that too had been quickly banished to the depths of nothingness it had spawned from.

No, Shendu is himself to be certain, simply given a human body instead of his proper demonic glory. The product of a modified resurrection spell, most likely, though he (frustratingly) still meeds to do more research to determine the specifics. Research that he will be able to carry out in the form he now takes, a power of his resting in the Sheep Talisman.

The so-called 'King of Darkness' will regret returning them to him, in time. He will make sure of it.

But for now, Shendu is content to explore and observe the new, modern world. Already he has learned much.

First, with his astral form unburdened by the dull senses of mortal men, he has learned of the various spells on his human body. Spells to control him while in the presence of his would-be master and to track his every movement otherwise, of course, but also spells to muddle his memories of the organization he is now apparently a part of as well as their base of operations. Prudent spells, all of them, but ones he will be able to circumvent. Humankind may have advanced their own understanding of the magical arts, but Shendu is still a _demon_ , after all.

Second is how curiously undetected he has remained in his astral sojourns the past several days. Projection into the astral plane is no easy feat, of course, but there _are_ ways of doing it without the Sheep. If the modern world was as truly awake to magic as he has been led to believe, then he finds it foolish to not have taken precautions against spies and sorcerers seeking to use the plane for their exclusive benefit. _He_ certainly did so when he had ruled China. But aside from the occasional barrier that stopped _all_ magic from entering, there were no defenses against him, no way to even detect him on a wide scale.

He has, in essence, free roam of the world. Another testament to the continued foolishness of mortals.

The third thing he has learned of in his astral travels is the mortals themselves. They are still the same at their base, insipid little vermin scurrying about their dens of steel and concrete, presuming that their 'science' and 'technology' gives them dominion over the world. It does not, and Shendu plans to remind them of this fact in time.

Far more interesting is how the appearance of their new abilities, their 'Quirks' as they have laughably decided to call them, has affected their society. Never before has the ebb and flow of good and evil been so intense; so much chaos and destruction is caused on a daily basis, only to be swiftly countered or neutralized by the ones called 'Heroes'. And from what he has gleaned, Japan is considered _safe_ compared to the rest of the world.

He greatly looks forward to seeing China again. But that will not be until he is satisfied with his understanding of his current locale.

Shendu has been reborn into a world in a precarious balance, with Evil poised to tip the scales forever in its favor. And with the right preparations, _he_ will be the one to stand atop it all once more.

The first step is simple: play along with his idiot 'King' and free his siblings. Only then will he be able to make his next move...

* * *

Indou Youko stands, once more, at the gates of U.A. High School. It is April now, the sun warm and the trees well-leafed.

It is the first day of the school year, and Youko is ready. Her new uniform still feels unfamiliar, and she wouldn't mind it if the skirt was a tad longer, but is overall acceptable. The pink ribbon tied into a bow at the base of her long braid gives her comfort, as does the feel of her stick across her back. The eight spells she has chosen to have on-hand at all times are stowed safely in her bag with her blowfish and other tools, as are her school supplies. She feels fully prepared for anything that may happen.

She does not linger at the gate, eager as she is to find her classroom as quickly as possible. She and Master Yau made the move to Musutafu City merely a week ago, and the apartment provided for them by the International Confederation of Wizards is well within walking distance of the U.A. campus. With her excitement at a peak, Youko was more than happy to wake up early, get ready quickly, and get out the door at the earliest (reasonable) opportunity.

After all, who _wouldn't_ want to be as early as possible on the first day of school? It wouldn't do to get lost on the very first day, plus arriving at school early would give her a better chance to familiarize herself with the grounds and building without too big a throng of students to get in the way. And it seems like she'd be able to do just that, as there doesn't seem to be too many people here yet.

Youko can't help but to glance around at them as she follows the directions she'd been given to her classroom. She's read that only something like 1 in 300 people got accepted into the Hero Course, either through the entrance exams or by special recommendation, with a total of 40 students split across two classes. She has been assigned to Class 1-A, and can't help but wonder if any of the people she can see are going to be her classmates for the next three years.

Probably not, she decides. Most of the other early arrivals seem to be either upperclassmen or members of the other courses, judging by how none of them are going the same way she is. But she knows she'll meet them soon enough.

Step by step, hall by hall, Youko makes her way through the main building, noting various places of interest until she finally finds herself at the door marked 1-A.

It is _tall_ , far taller than she expected. She wonders what sort of Quirks necessitated such a huge doorway, but soon decides it doesn't really matter. She stands quite literally at the threshold of a new phase of her life, one that will decide _everything_.

She takes a deep breath to steady herself. She was never good at making friends back home, and for an unfortunate variety of reasons. But this is a new start for her, and she looks forward to seeing what – and who – it has to offer. And briefly, she wonders what she'll have to do to find the happiness she wants. She doesn't know if she has what it takes as she is now.

She has been told over and over again that a new school means freedom from her reputation, from her _past_ , and that she could use the opportunity to be whatever sort of person she wishes to be. But the only person Indou Youko wants to be is herself, for all the good and ill it may bring, and so she lets out her breath and opens the door. It is light despite its size, and slides easily.

There is only one other student inside at the moment, sitting in his desk near the door-side wall. He seems vaguely familiar to Youko, with dark blue hair, glasses, and a rather serious air about him. But she can't quite place him, not yet.

“Ah!” He stands almost immediately, and makes haste – though his movements are stiff, almost robotic – over to where Youko stands. “Good morning! My name is Iida Tenya, from the Soumei Private Academy. I take it we'll be classmates from now on?”

The voice, the bearing, the pompousness, it all finally clicks together for Youko.

_Shit. Isn't he that idiot who interrupted the orientation for the Practical?_


	4. First Impressions, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's new chapter, as promised.

Indou Youko stands awkwardly in the doorway of Class 1-A, staring at the boy who has just introduced himself as Iida Tenya.

He's the pompous pedant from the Practical Exam.

“Oh, sorry,” she says once she realizes she's staring, “wasn't expecting anyone to be here yet. I'm Indou Youko,” she adds, trying to make it seem like it's not the second thought it is. Though that doesn't mean she'll share the name of _her_ middle school like he did; it's just some dull little public place out in the country, anyway, it doesn't matter, and it's not like it's any of his business anyway. “And, uh, yeah, I guess we'll be classmates from now on.”

Behind her forced smile she wills the boy to leave her be, she's not interested in making conversation with him, she just wants to stow her stuff in her desk and then go take a walk around, but he's not giving her the opening. In fact, it doesn't seem like he's noticed her lack of interest at all.

“In... Oh!” The murmured syllable and subsequent flash of recognition only makes Youko's annoyance deepen. “You're the one who scored sixth in the Entrance Exam, aren't you?” Because _of course_ this kid is the type who memorizes every score chart he's ever placed on. _Of course_. Youko herself never even gave the stupid thing a second glance once she'd confirmed her own rank. It just didn't matter to her. “I came in seventh myself, as I'm sure you are aware; I don't regret my performance in battle, though I _will_ admit that I realized the existence of the hidden portion of the score too late. I commend you for your insight, Ms. Indou, and your performance as well!”

“Th-thanks,” Youko says, still trying to keep up her smile. “I just... did what came naturally, that's all.” And then spent a week wallowing in depression because she _hadn't_ realized what he apparently _had_.

Luckily, the desks aren't flush with the walls – there's more than enough room for her to start walking straight towards her seat (she's No. 5, which means she's stuck in the corner next to the rear doorway based on how the room seems to be arranged), but the boy doesn't take the hint.

“Well,” he says as passes him, “with instincts like yours I'm certain you'll make it far as a Hero, and...” The pause lasts just long enough for Youko to get her hopes up that he's been distracted by the arrival of someone else, but the window to the hallway is transparent enough that she would have noticed if someone was coming, and she hasn't, so out of curiosity alone she shoots a glance back at him.

“Excuse me,” the boy ( _what was his name again?_ ) says in an abrupt, chiding tone, “but is that a _tree branch_ that you have strapped across your back? I know you scored well in the Entrance Exams, but that _hardly_ means you can bring whatever random object you picked up off the street into the most prestigious academy in the country!”

Youko gaze becomes withering, and she continues on to her desk. “It's a _support item_ ,” she tells him coldly, dropping the pretense of politeness she'd been giving him. “Just because it's not tech doesn't mean it's not important.”

The boy's mood flips around so fast it's almost funny. “I, I-I-I,” he stammers, arms flailing, completely flustered, “I apologize profusely, Ms. Indou!” He settles into a needlessly deep bow, and Youko snorts quietly as she stows her bag under the desk and sits down – the chair is detached and on wheels, which is a far cry from what she's used to, but it's comfortable at least. “It never occurred to me that such a thing could even  _be_ a support item!”

“Yeah, well, it is,” Youko tells him, taking her stick off next and leaning it up against the desk. She doesn't know if that's where she'll keep it, it doesn't seem stable enough, but she has plenty of time to figure it out.

“If...,” the boy continues after a moment, hesitant, “you don't mind me asking, Ms. Indou, how exactly does your... support item...,” ( _Just call it a stick, seriously,_ ) “relate to your Quirk?”

Youko tries to suppress a sigh, but fails. Had it been anyone else she would have blown him off, told him to mind his own business, but this particular pest was going to be training to be a Pro Hero alongside her for the next three years. There wasn't really any point in being secretive about what she could do, even if people had reacted badly to it in the past.

_This is U.A.,_ she tells herself, _not some superstitious craphole that can't handle a weird quirk like back home._

“It's something to use my Quirk _on_ ,” she begins to answer, but then movement in the corner of her eye catches her attention – through the wall windows she can see the blurry form of someone walking down the hall.

The boy takes her distraction as an invitation to ask further. “Oh, so it's some type of object reinforcement Quirk then?”

“Not... really,” Youko replies, eyes still on the figure in the hall, who's approaching the front door of the classroom. It slides open, finally catching the boy's attention, finally getting him to turn his back on her as the next of their classmates walks in.

She's pretty. Base-type, about the same height as Youko, long black hair tied into a spiky ponytail with a bit framing the right side of her face. _Very_ pretty. She spots both of them almost immediately, but as the boy is the one power-walking straight at her, he's the one she focuses on.

“Good morning! My name is Iida Tenya, from the Soumei Private Academy.” _Is he seriously gonna do that for everyone, or just the girls?_

Youko had been dithering, but decides she may as well go greet the girl as well.

“I am Yaoyorozu Momo, of the Yaoyorozu family,” the girl replies, bowing gracefully. She has an air of elegance about her that makes Youko curious about her upbringing.

The two look expectantly at her. “I'm, uh, Indou Youko,” she says to Yaoyorozu, giving the girl a short bow. No important family, no important school, and she's not the type to flaunt her apprenticeship, so it's a bit awkward to end the greeting there. “Nice to meetcha.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Yaoyorozu says – her smile is more cute than elegant, but it's nice either way. “I've been looking forward to meeting my new classmates, I didn't get admitted to U.A. through the regular entrance exam, so I haven't had the chance to see you all in action beforehand.”

Not through the entrance exam? Right, there were supposed to be a couple people like that...

“Oh! That must mean you were one of the recommended students, correct?” Iida ( _Shit, please tell me he's not sitting directly in front of me, stupid syllabic order..._ ) asks, echoing Youko's thoughts.

“That's right,” Yaoyorozu admits, looking strangely (though cutely) bashful. “Of course, I've been following the information that's been posted about it online. Is it true that one of the examinees destroyed a Titan-Class robot with a single punch?”

To Youko's surprise, Iida nods confirmation. “Whoa, seriously?” she asks.

“It's true,” he says. “I never got the name of the boy who did it, but as we shared the same testing center I _did_ get a front-row seat to the incident you're referring to. I'll admit that I didn't think much of him at first, but destroying that giant in defense of a fellow test-taker was truly an inspiring act of courage and self-sacrifice. Unfortunately, it seemed like he was unable to fully handle the side-effects of his Quirk and was left unable to move afterward. I don't know if he was able to earn enough points to pass the exam. Then again, the person who scored eighth overall received _zero_ battle points, so I suppose anything is possible. ”

“Wow,” Youko says, genuinely shocked. “Guess I should've paid more attention to stuff online after all, I kinda tuned it out after the exam because I was too stressed out about everything.”

Iida nods with an irritating sort of sageliness. “Understandable, I suppose. But you really shouldn't have shied away from the opportunity, Ms. Indou. I'm sure that seeing the results of others would have let you better gauge your own performance, and give you peace of mind.”

“Sure, sure...,” Youko says, more to placate the idiot than anything else. At least a quick glance at Yaoyorozu tells her that at least _someone_ can see that his comments aren't well-received.

“So, how did your exam go?” Yaoyorozu asks her. “Each testing center had it's own titan, correct?”

“Yeah, though I was a couple blocks away when the one in Battle Center D showed up so I don't really know what happened with it,” Youko answers. “I wanted to go help anyone who got hurt when it popped up, but I didn't have enough time so I just hung back and performed some first aid on the people around me.”

“Sounds like you made a wise decision, from what I've heard,” Yaoyorozu says.

“An admirable one, too,” Iida adds, unwanted. “Though... Battle Center D, you said? I've heard that one of the examinees _there_ was a licensed apprentice wizard, though it seems to me that the rumors must be mistaken. There were magic-users among the medical staff, after all.”

“That does sound like a reasonable explanation,” Yaoyorozu says. “It's hard to believe that an apprentice wizard could have taken the exam when most only _begin_ their apprenticeships in high school.”

Iida nods again. “Of course, neither of _us_ were at the testing grounds in question. Do you know anything about it, Ms. Indou?”

_Shit_. She hadn't been planning to keep it a secret, but at the same time Youko would prefer to not have to admit it like this, to only two people. Especially since one of them is an annoying, pompous idiot. It's embarrassing.

She averts her gaze on reflex, and fidgets a little. “Well, uh, yeah. _I'm_ the wizard they're talking about. I got my PL1 in my bag and everything.” She ventures a look back at them, and they're stunned, but luckily it's Yaoyorozu that makes the first move.

“Wow,” she says, her brow lowering as the surprise wears off, “impressive. It's not often that you see someone so accomplished at our age.”

Which only embarrasses Youko more. “No, no, it really isn't,” she tries to tell them. “I mean, I worked hard and everything, but really the only reason that you don't see more PL1s my age is because most wizards don't take on little kids as their apprentices. I just kinda lucked into it, that's all.”

Yaoyorozu shakes her head. “Perhaps, but the fact that you were trusted with magic _at all_ as a child says a lot.”

_If only you knew why_..., Youko thinks.

“True,” Iida says. “Still, though, I have to wonder why, if you're already well on your way down the path of wizardry, you've decided to come here as well? I'm aware there are differences between the two professions, but the fundamentals are still quite similar. Why go through the trouble of training to be a Hero, as well?”

“Uh, well, I guess it's mostly just so I can be as versatile as possible,” she answers. It's not true, not really, but she's had enough of the spotlight for today, tomorrow, and the rest of the week already, and would rather not explain herself to a couple of strangers.

Iida buys it, if his contemplative look is anything to go by. “Hmm, yes... I suppose you _would_ be able to handle more situations with full access to both magic and your Quirk. I must commend you for your forward-thinking, Ms. Indou.”

“Hah... thanks...” There's nothing else Youko can really say to that, so she laughs it off awkwardly and turns her attention to Yaoyorozu, intent on changing the subject. “Anyway... were there any _other_ stories about the entrance exams that caught your attention?”

“Mmm... none that I can recall,” Yaoyorozu says, looking thoughtful. “Most of what I read were people's personal stories. There were some interesting Quirks that came up, but nothing as noteworthy as you or the boy who destroyed the giant robot.”

Iida nods. “It was the same for me. Though, that said, I'm more curious about _you_ , Ms. Yaoyorozu, or more specifically the recommendation process that led to your admission.”

Now it's her turn to look bashful. “Well, there's not much to say about it, really. My family holds enough sway that earning the recommendation was a simple process, and then on the Recommendation Entrance Exam I scored within the top four out of all the initial candidates.”

“So, any idea who the other three are, then?” Youko asks, more out of idle curiosity than true interest. Someone else is walking down the hallway, so her attention is divided.

Yaoyorozu's thoughtful expression deepens. “Hmm... well, I'd be lying if I didn't have a few people in mind, but the full results for our exam were never revealed, and at any rate I'm not sure I met all the other candidates to begin with. It's possible that I won't recognize _any_ of them, even the other one in our class.”

“In that case, I'll save you the surprise,” says a fourth voice, cold and dispassionate, from the doorway. “The other recommended student in this class is _me_.”

Iida and Yaoyorozu turn to see the boy that Youko has already gotten a good look at; he's mostly base-type, with two distinct features that she immediately notices: the second is a large and painful-looking burn scar over and around his left eye, but the first is his hair.

The right side is pure white, the left a crimson red, the two colors meeting square in the middle with no mixing. Youko doesn't know if it's dyed or not, but if it is then the kid is obviously a tasteless idiot, because it looks dumb as shit. (And if it's natural, then damn is that some unfortunate genetics.)

“You're... Todoroki Shouto, aren't you?” Yaoyorozu asks as the kid blazes past her and Iida like he's too cool for them.

The name means absolutely nothing to Youko, but apparently produces a spark of recognition in Iida. “Todoroki... wait, _Endeavor's_ son?”

Which at least gets Youko to raise a brow – she doesn't really know much about Endeavor beyond that he's the current No. 2 Hero and that Master Yau thinks he's an asshole (even if he's never said so explicitly), so the idea of him just kind of having a son who's also her classmate is... weird.

At any rate, Stupid Hair pauses in his beeline trek across the room to look back at the three of them. “That's correct,” he says, icily. “But don't presume you know anything about me because of it.”

And that's all he says before continuing to his seat, leaving an awkward silence in his wake. And Youko can tell that he probably has some kind of Issues or Resentment or something, but the combination of attitude, uniform, and hair are too ridiculous for her to take completely seriously. Fortunately, she is saved from having to say anything about it by a steady stream of new arrivals.

The first is another girl, short and long-haired with a rather distinct look about her. Youko thinks she's base-type at first, but no, not quite – her mouth is a bit too wide, her hands a bit too big, her posture a bit too low. She has some kind of mutant-type Quirk, Youko's sure of it the more she looks, but she can;t quite put a finger on the specifics of it at first glance.

“My name is Asui Tsuyu,” she says in response to Mr. 'My name is Iida Tenya, from the Soumei Private Academy', Yaoyorozu and an increasingly-uncomfortable Youko introducing themselves as well. “It's nice to meet all of you-ribbit.”

_Ribbit? Some kind of frog, then? Or frog_ blood _, at least, she doesn't have the full_ look _that animal-types usually have._

The next is some boy with a long, muscular tail, but Youko's lost what little interest she had in greeting her classmates and so turns to walk back to her seat and wait out the remaining time before homeroom starts.

Which unintentionally puts her walking more-or-less next to Asui, though with the line of desks in between them. “It's hard to believe that we're gonna start training to be Heroes today,” Asui says. “It feels like I've been looking forward to this my whole life.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Youko replies. “After all that hard work just to get this far, to actually _be_ here feels like I'm dreaming. It's almost like it's too good to be true.”

“Ribbit,” Asui nods – she's cute, Youko decides, even if it's an odd sort of cute. “Though I get the feeling that the hard work is only just beginning. I can't imagine a school like this will go easy on us just because we're in our first year.”

Youko flashes an anxious sort of smile as she turns and slides into her desk – there's one empty seat separating her from Asui, the one assigned to Iida. “True. Though hopefully the first day won't be  _too_ bad.”

Asui smiles at the bit of humor, but their conversation ends there as she focuses on unpacking her things while Youko turns her attention back to the rest of the class. Two more boys have since arrived, and both look... interesting, at the very least. One is short and has the head of a bird, though the combination of jet-black feathers and a slightly-curved yellow beak isn't one that Youko is familiar with. He's already walking cross-armed towards a seat in the third row of desks, apparently uninterested with the rest of the class.

The second boy is still talking to the unofficial welcoming committee; he's exceptionally tall, with gray hair that's been swept forward and some kind of mask over his mouth. More importantly, though, is that he had four extra arms. Or, if not arms  _specifically_ , then something very arm- _like_ attached to the arms themselves by what looks like wbes of skin? And, judging by the lack of sleeves on his uniform shirt – it's clearly been special-ordered – it's his default form. Which means he has a  _very_ interesting Quirk, even if Youko can't make out all the specifics from where she's sitting. He's done  _something_ with his arm-things that's momentarily unnerved Iida, at least, and that definitely earns the kid a few points in Youko's book.

He moves off towards the third row as well, and by now it seems like Yaoyorozu has grown weary of being a greeter too and is finally leaving Iida alone at the front of the class. The next arrival is a bored-looking girl with black hair; she's another one that Youko nearly mistakes for being base-type before noticing a small detail, namely that something-or-other long is dangling from her ears, possibly the earlobes themselves.

(There's also another vague sort of feeling Youko gets from her when they meet eyes as the girl heads for her seat just behind the kid with the arms; it's welcome, if she's right about it.)

And then a whole _crowd_ shows up, already chatting loudly and amicably with one another, and Iida is flustered for a moment. It's mostly boys, two she doesn't recognize (one with black hair, the other with spiky red), but two she _does_ – it's Muscles and the Blond Who Fried His Brain from the practical exam, which surprises Youko at first as she hadn't honestly expected either one to pass (not that she'd spared either one much thought in the first place).

They spot her very quickly and make a beeline towards her, which is unfortunate because there is a girl in their group that Youko wants to introduce herself to; she is Very Pink, as in pink hair and pink _skin_ , with little horns and black sclera too. It is absolutely a look that would have gotten her labeled a demon way back when, but right now Youko just thinks she's very cute and very interesting. She seems to have the seat in front of Asui, at least, but she can't listen in to their introductory conversation with two boys bearing down on her.

“Yo! Looks like you got in after all, congratulations!” Muscles says, hand raised in greeting. “You looked pretty down in the dumps when we were leaving, so I was worried you didn't get enough points.”

Youko gives him an awkward laugh. “Yeah, well, I would have been doomed without the rescue points.”

“See? Told ya, dude,” the blond says, elbowing Muscles. “A babe like her _had_ to get in after all that healing magic she pulled.”

_'Babe'? Great, he's one of_ those _kind of guys..._ Youko does her best not to glower at the remark, though neither boy seems observant enough to notice it either way.

“Anyway, don't let what happened back then color your view of me,” Blondie says, his ego shining through like a lightbulb. “The name's Kaminari Denki, and I'm gonna be the hottest hero there ever was.”

Youko can't even give him a blank look before the bored-looking girl with the long earlobes – now sitting in the dead center of the third row of desks – bursts into hastily-stifled laughter. The way her body is angled and her 'lobes' pointed makes it clear exactly what she finds so funny, too, which immediately puts a damper on Kaminari's swagger.

Muscles gives him a conciliatory pat on the shoulder, then looks back at Youko. “Y-yeah, well, I'm Satou Rikidou.”

“Indou Youko,” she replies. “It's, uh, nice to meet you. Officially, anyway.”

"Yeah, right,” Satou says with a half-smile, scratching the back of his head. He leaves, a little awkwardly, after that, taking Kaminari with him. They pause to talk to some of the others ahead of her, but as it doesn't involve Youko, she tunes them out. The Pink Girl is currently teasing Iida, and (aside from Ear Girl, who's too far away) she's the only one Youko has any great interest in talking to, so for now she just sits back and watches the room in silence.

The red-haired boy is sitting diagonally ahead of her, talking with Kaminari and the black-haired kid to his left. From what she can hear it's just typical guy stuff, boring. Asui is watching them a little bit, but not really taking part.

Everyone else is just kind of sitting quietly, including a strange-looking kid sitting to her left that Youko doesn't recall coming in – he was probably hidden among the larger group, she decides. He doesn't have much presence, despite a relatively large frame and his weird, craggy head. Youko wonders what his Quirk is; his skin is a pretty normal color and the rockiness doesn't seem to extend below his neck, though, so she's not sure that it's directly related to what he can do. That bird-headed kid is similar, now that she thinks about it; no wings and normal hands means his Quirk almost certainly isn't just some variant of Is A Bird.

She smiles a little; there's definitely some interesting Quirks for her to make use of in this class.

Craggy is fidgeting in the corner of her eye, though, and it's a bit distracting. She glances his way; he's so blatantly nervous that she wonders how he managed to make it this far. Just meeting his eyes for half a second startles the boy, and it gives her the impression that he'd dissolve into goo the moment he faces serious danger.

And yet, he obviously made it through the hectic and oftentimes _violent_ practical exam, so clearly he has _some_ mettle inside him. Deep down below several layers of confidence issues, probably, and no-doubt forced to the surface by the trauma of facing down a bunch of villain-bots, but still. It's enough to make Youko sigh.

“Look, buddy,” she says, keeping her voice low enough to prevent the others from noticing while maintaining eye contact to make sure Craggy knew she was talking to him, “I don't know what your story is, but if you're stressing out about being here, then don't. You're no different than the rest of us, you've earned your place just like we have. And if it's _us_ you're stressing about, well, don't do that either. We're all here to be _heroes_ , remember? We might not all be warm and friendly or whatever, but that doesn't mean we're gonna, like, make fun of you or something. And if someone _does_ ,” she turns her gaze back towards the front of the room, “then just let me know and I'll take care of it for you, okay?”

She looks back at the kid, offering him a smile that's honestly just a little bit weary, and finds him looking back with a shy smile of his own. Then he answers her with an odd but purposeful sort of hand gesture that Youko vaguely recognizes as being sign language, probably. Which in turn causes her to realize that Craggy is probably mute.

She can feel herself flush with embarrassment. “Uh... I don't really know what you just said,” she admits. “But if it was 'thank you'... then you're welcome.” Based on his fervent nodding she's on the mark, though he doesn't seem too interested in furthering the conversation.

Granted, _nobody_ seems interested in conversation when their next classmate, a slender blond boy, comes sliding into the room with his back to the class, turning and striking a pose when he stops. “ _Bonjour_ , Class 1-A!” he cries, making his voice carry throughout the room without actually yelling. “Aoyama Yuuga, _le_ _Sorcier_ _É_ _tincelant_ has at long last-”

Whatever he was going to say is interrupted, first by an unseen girl crying “Oh no, I hope I'm not late!” right before a disembodied school uniform (female version) runs into the classroom, trips, and crashes into the guy sending both to the floor.

A good chunk of the class bursts into laughter at that; or, at least, the chunk that Kami-something and Sadou (or is it Sa _tou_?) came with does. For a few seconds, anyway, before Iida helps them both up, starts up a lecture about how to enter a classroom properly or something, and Youko officially stops paying attention. An invisible classmate is interesting in theory but makes her sort of vaguely uncomfortable in practice, and she doesn't really want to dwell on it right now.

At any rate, with those two arrived there are only three more members of the class left. Frenchy said his name was Aoyama or something, so Youko knows he's the last person in the first row, leaving the first seat in the second row and three seats – no, _two_ seats, Invisible Girl is headed that way – still empty in the fourth row between Stupid Hair (Endeavor's Son) and Yaoyorozu.

It isn't long at all before the next person arrives, another boy with spiky ash-blond hair. He seems vaguely familiar to Youko, and not in a good way, but she can't for the life of her remember where she knows him from. Though it seems more than a few of the others recognize him, and from what little she can hear of their hushed conversations she gathers that the boy is yet another stand-out from the entrance exams, as well as apparently having been involved in some kind of villain incident last year? Nothing that Youko really cares about, all told.

He brushes past Iida, hands in his pockets and a derisive smirk on his face as he spares the rest of the class a mere passing glance. He snorts in contempt, clearly unimpressed, and continues on his way to his desk in the middle of the fourth row.

It takes Iida a couple seconds to process what happened and scurry after the boy, but Youko doesn't pay them any attention – another body just jogged past the window. _Number nineteen?_

“Excuse me,” she hears Iida say; everyone is watching him and Spiky now, and while Youko can't see them very well from her seat it's obvious from the tone of his voice alone that Iida is already agitated. “I said, _excuse me!_ ”

No response, though Youko notices the door slide open – though whoever it is is lingering.

“Take your feet off of that desk now!” Iida practically shouts. Spiky clearly doesn't comply, though, so he adds “It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you _cretin!_ ”

' _Oh boy,_ this _dynamic is gonna be a fun one to live with for the next three years..._ 'Youko thinks, rolling her eyes before looking back at the front of the room, trying to see the new arrival beyond Asui, Pink Girl, and Frenchy.

“You're kidding me, right?” Spiky replies with, his voice dripping with assholeishness. “Your old school put a stick up your ass, or were you born with it?” Iida, to his credit, seemingly tries to de-escalate things and introduce himself properly, but Asshole clearly isn't about to care. “ _Soumei_ , huh? You must think you're better than me! I'm gonna have fun tearing _you_ a new one!”

Iida gasps in shock and horror, and to Youko's left Craggy seems uneasy as well.

And then, all at once, the rest of the class _finally_ realizes that someone else has arrived. Every head in the room swings towards a scrawny-looking kid with a mop of green hair, and he barely has time to utter a nervous “Hi~!” before Iida is marching over and introducing himself – though Green Hair stops him before he gets too close.

There's a few more murmurs of vague recognition among the rest of the class, but once again Youko isn't interested. Especially because she's just seen the last member of the class – another girl – hurry down the hall outside. Unfortunately, once she reaches the doorway she seems content to just stand there talking to Green Hair, who looks increasingly flustered by it, so that all Youko gets of her is a cute and excited voice.

And then the chatter stops. Youko can't tell from her seat exactly what's going on, but the trio of Iida, Green Hair, and (presumably) Unseen Girl are all shocked by _something_ in the hall. But then the three take a step back into the room (and the girl, she can now tell, looks like someone she saw the day of the entrance exam) as _something_ stands up into it.

“It took eight seconds before you all shut up,” he says, looking much like some kind of giant yellow worm before unzipping the sleeping bag he's wearing to reveal the scruff, long-haired man within. “That's not gonna work. Time is precious. _Rational_ students would understand that.”

Dressed all in black save the thick gray scarf coiled around his neck and looking like he hasn't slept in a month, the man sure as hell is nobody that Youko recognizes. Which isn't saying much, to be true, but all the teachers at U.A. are supposed to be Pro Heroes so she'd expect _somebody_ in the room to know who he is. But everyone around her looks just as clueless as the three up front, and even the man's introduction doesn't help clarify things.

“Hello, I'm Aizawa Shouta,” he says in a tired voice, looking around at the class. “Your teacher.”

Well, that much was obvious, even if about a third of the class seem genuinely shocked by it. Still, Mr Aizawa – Youko makes it a point to remember the name – doesn't exactly look thrilled with his lot in life, either as a Hero or a teacher and that... Well, it doesn't bode well at all.

_Maybe he's about to retire or something, and is just going through the motions until his replacement shows up,_ Youko thinks. _Or maybe he's just having an off day._ _I don't want to spend three years with a homeroom teacher too tired to care about us._

“Right, let's get to it,” he says, rooting around in his sleeping bag a bit before pulling out a blue-and-white shirt. “Put these on and head outside.”

The whole class stares at him in confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm worried this chapter is too much on the slow side, but it's something that felt necessary to me and I didn't want to drag it out more than I already ended up doing. Let me know what you think!


	5. The First Test, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only been about a month, not too bad... I hope you've all been looking forward to this!

Indou Youko stands in one corner of the locker room assigned to the girls of Class 1-A, her back to the other six as they all finish changing into their gym clothes. The room, and its twin assigned to the boys, are directly adjacent to the classroom itself; their homeroom teacher, a scruffy man named Aizawa, led the group to them almost immediately after introducing himself.

“They're basically just changing rooms,” he'd told them. “You each get your own lockers, so if you want to store anything besides your uniform in them you can. Just remember that you're responsible for keeping it clean. Got it?”

The class had chorused their confirmation, and Mr. Aizawa had left them to change. And it hadn't taken long at all for the girls to start speculating about what, exactly, they were going to be doing.

“I guess I just don't understand the schedule here,” says the last arrival to the class, who (eventually) introduced herself as Uraraka Ochaco; even with her confusion her bubbly personality shines through. “I mean, it's the first day of classes, right? Isn't there supposed to be some sort of orientation that we're supposed to go to?”

“Maybe the orientation is later, ribbit?” croaks the very froggy Asui Tsuyu.

“Wait, really?” says the invisible girl, Hagakure Touru.”Why wouldn't they have orientation first thing? That's so weird.”

“I didn't say that's what they're definitely going to do,” Asui clarifies, “just that it's a possibility. And it's weird either way.”

“Totally,” Hagakure says.

“Well, it's either that they're having the orientation later or not at all,” says Yaoyorozu, her voice the calmest of the group.

“What, no orientation at all?” Uraraka asks, audibly shocked. “That's crazy! They can't _possibly_ do that!”

“The truth is, we don't know _what_ they can or can't do,” Yaoyorozu counters. “And it's just another possibility, anyway.”

Uraraka laughs. “Yeah, a pretty unlikely one if you ask me. They're probably just having it a little later, like Asui said.”

“You all can just call me-” the girl in question tries to reply before getting cut off and talked over.

“Ooh, maybe they're just gonna make us run around a bit as a warm-up, then have us arrive to orientation in style!” says Ashido Mina, the incredibly pink girl. Between her, Hagakure, and Uraraka, there's enough positive energy to rival a power plant.

“Why would they have us warm up for something like that?” asks the girl with the long earlobes, Jirou Kyouka, who (thankfully) seems to be another voice of reason among the girls.

“Yeah,” Youko chimes in. “If they just wanna delay our arrival to orientation a bit, what's the point in making us work up a sweat first?”

“Oh, maybe it's our first lesson!” Uraraka decides. “Like, 'How to Make a Public Appearance After Battle' or something like that?”

The pause that follows is telling; even without seeing their faces Youko can tell that even Ashido and Hagakure aren't buying it.

“That... doesn't seem like something they'd have us do right off the bat,” Yaoyorozu says, voicing the thoughts of the rest of the girls.

“Well then what _are_ they having us do?” Uraraka asks, her tone nearly whining.

“Beats me,” Youko says, closing her locker and slinging her stick across her back. “But I'm sure we'll find out soon.”

* * *

“Alright,” Aizawa tells them, the class now standing in one of the athletics fields in back of the school's main building, “the first thing you'll be doing here at U.A. is a Quirk Assessment Test.”

The words hang in the air for a second before the shock settles in. “Wait, _what_?!” one of the boys cries, similar sentiments echoing from the others.

“But _orientation_ ,” Uraraka whines, “we're gonna _miss it_!”

“If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies,” Aizawa tells them; both the words and his tone are discomfiting. “Here at U.A., we're not _tethered_ to traditions. That means that I get to run my class however I see fit.”

His gaze sweeps across them all, and from the brief time their eyes meet Youko is left with the impression that, now matter how unkempt he seems on the outside, her new teacher is not someone to be taken with anything less than the utmost seriousness.

“You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives,” he continues. He holds up his smartphone, displaying the names of the eight fitness tests that every junior high student in Japan knows all too well. “But you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before. The country's still trying to pretend we're all created _equal_ by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn.”

'Not created equal'? 'Letting those with the most power excel'? Youko can grasp the point Mr. Aizawa is trying to make, but his words sound so _wrong_. Having power doesn't – _shouldn't_ – make you more or less than anyone else. _That_ is the ironclad truth that Youko learned when she was a child. To hear a teacher, and a supposed _Hero_ no less, imply otherwise...

Well, Youko does not think she likes Mr. Aizawa so far.

“Bakugou,” Aizawa says to the Spiky-Haired Asshole standing near the front of the group, “you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam.” The statement is more than a little surprising, but Youko doesn't get time to dwell on it. “What was your farthest distance throw with the softball when you were in junior high?”

“67 meters, I think,” the boy answers after a moment. Fairly impressive, certainly more than Youko ever achieved, but nothing outlandish.

“Right. Try doing it with your Quirk.” Aizawa tosses him something small and ball-shaped, though it looks too dark to be a regular softball. A speculative murmur ripples through the class, though it is quickly quashed by another gaze from their teacher, who motions Spiky towards a familiar shape drawn on the ground in chalk – a wide circle, with a rounded wedge jutting out from it with hashes delineating every meter or so. In other words, a field to measure throwing distance.

Spiky walks into the circle without hesitation, silently staring at the ball in his hands. “Anything goes, just stay in the circle,” Aizawa tells him. “Go on. You're wasting our time.”

“Alright, man, you asked for it,” Spiky replies, stretching his arms and planting his feet firmly on the ground. He winds up, throws...

...and _**explodes like cannon-fire**_ , shooting the ball into the sky faster than anyone can see.

Youko's eyes are wide, her mouth hanging, any doubts about the kid's entrance exam score utterly _incinerated_.

“All of you need to know your maximum capabilities,” she vaguely registers Aizawa saying, her mind too focused on trying to track the speck that is the ball as it finally begins its descent back towards the earth. “It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a Pro Hero.”

He holds up his smartphone so all can see the result it now displays, courtesy of a sensor within the ball: 705.2 meters.

“ _Holy shit_...,” Youko breathes as the others around her burst into shock and excitement. She herself is both astounded and on-edge after the display of strength; she can't recall the last time she saw a Quirk as dangerous as her own.

“I wanna go!” Ashido says. “That looks like fun!”

“That's what I'm talkin' about!” one of the guys says, obliviously. “Usin' our Quirks as much as we want!”

“...So this looks _fun_ , huh?” Aizawa says, and despite the softness with which he speaks the words nonetheless capture the whole class's attention immediately.

“You have _three years_ here to become a Hero. You think it's all gonna be games, and playtime?” And just like that, any lingering high spirits are washed away, replaced only by a growing sense of unease. “ _Idiots_. Today you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none, and will be _expelled immediately_.”

And the unease in turn is washed away by a tide of sheer _dread_. Youko's body freezes up even as the others voice their shock. Physical fitness has never been her strong suit, and she can't exactly count on her Quirk to pick up the slack when she has next to no idea what the others are capable of. It's just like the practical exam...

“Like I said, _I_ get to decide how this class runs,” Aizawa says, harsh words cutting through the frantic thoughts of a dozen teenagers. “Understand? If that's a problem, you can head home right now.”

... _just like the practical exam_...

“You can't send one of us home!” Uraraka protests. “I mean, we just got here! Even if it _wasn't_ the first day, that isn't fair!” Her heart is in the right place, but it's all too obvious how little their teacher cares.

“Oh, and you think natural disasters _are_?” he counters. “Or power-hungry villains, hm? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities? _No_. The world is _full_ of unfairness. It's a Hero's job to try to _combat_ that unfairness. If you wanna be a Pro you're gonna have to _push_ yourself to the brink. For the next three years U.A. will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So _go beyond_ , Plus Ultra-style. Show me it's no mistake that you're here.”

_It's just like the practical exam_ , Youko realizes. The practical exam, where she struggled and flailed and did her very best and still utterly _failed_ to keep up with her peers in combat. The practical exam that she still passed, because being a Hero is _not solely about physical prowess_.

Her, no, _their_ place, is being threatened. Their very _dreams_ are on the line if they don't perform. And all of it is smoke and mirrors, a situation contrived to make sure they operate at their absolute peak. It's bullshit, but it's bullshit that Youko has no choice but to rely on.

Because if she is wrong about it, then Mr. Aizawa is a worse teacher – a worse _Hero_ – than she already thinks.

“Now then,” he says, “we're just wasting _time_ by talking. Let the games begin.”

_Nope, not quite_..., Youko thinks, her hand shooting into the air. She can feel everyone's eyes turn towards her in an instant, but her undivided attention is given to Mr. Aizawa.

His irritated glare is intimidating, but Youko _refuses_ to flinch. She's stared down worse. “If you're wondering if you can use your magic for these tests, the answer is _no_ ,” he says, sparking murmurs of confusion and subsequent explanation among the rest of the class that make her stomach churn. “These are _physical_ exams. Any items that aren't strictly required for your Quirks to function are not allowed. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Youko replies, her gaze unwavering and her hand still lifted. She _hates_ this, hates all of this, she hates being the center of attention and singled out and judged, but some things _have_ to be said, because life being unfair means you need to _make it fair_. “But that's not what I was going to ask about.”

“Oh?” he says, and he looks genuinely surprised – though in an amused way.

He isn't going to say anything more, so she has to take a moment to compose her thoughts before elaborating. “My Quirk...,” no, that's not quite the right way to start it, but it's too late. “The only way I can use it for these tests is by taking some of someone else's _chi_ , which will allow me to use _their_ Quirk. But that means they'll have less energy, and even though it _probably_ won't make much difference overall, it still feels...” She wants to say 'unfair', because it is, but with what Aizawa just said she doesn't want to chance it. “... _Wrong_. If the point of these tests is to measure our maximum potential or whatever, and our place at U.A. is on the line, then I feel the best thing for me to do is to take my tests only after everyone else has finished theirs. That way everyone else can go all-out without having to worry about me making them a bit more tired, and _I_ can get a better understanding of what everyone can do for my _own_ tests.”

Aizawa stares at her for only a moment before deciding. “A rational request,” he states. “Unfortunately, we don't have _time_ to come back and rerun all the tests, even if it's for only one person. So, then, how about a compromise: you will take your tests alongside everyone else, however, you will be in the last group to take each test. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, sir,” Youko answers without hesitation, bowing. It's not an ideal situation, but Youko doesn't want to push things any more than she already has.

Aizawa sighs. “Good. Now, let's _finally_ get started.”

* * *

_Test #1: 50-Meter Dash_

* * *

The space designated for the first test is not too far away, more lines of chalk that delineate two parallel fifty-meter-long running lanes. A tripod-legged robot stands at the finish line, its single camera-like eye positioned and primed to capture completion times accurate to a hundredth of a second.

They are slated to run in pairs by order of seat, with the single exception of Youko, and so the first two members of Class 1-A – Ashido and the flashy, French-speaking blond boy – stand at the ready while everyone else stands on the sidelines.

“Runners, on your marks!” the robot calls out in an unexpectedly cute voice. “Ready?” Ashido is in a runner's crouch but has taken her shoes off, while Frenchy is still standing, and has a strange-looking metal belt around his midsection. Even more strange, he turns around just before the race begins.

And when the starting shot rings through the air, it immediately becomes evident why as he jumps straight up and a _massive laser_ _ **erupts**_ from the glass 'lens' centered over his navel, shooting him backwards down the course.

“Holy _shit_ , that guy is _crazy_!” Youko hears one of the guys say, and she can't help but agree. The single blast sends him halfway down his lane before it peters out and he lands on his back, but a second shot gets him across the finish line.

It's so flashy that it nearly distracts Youko from the fact that Ashido was somehow _even faster_ , gliding across the packed earth like it were ice.

“Shooting my beautiful beam for more than a second hurts my tummy,” she hears Frenchy 'explain' to Ashido and the pack of boys that she seems to slready be friends with, and it's clear from their expressions that he's already lost whatever admiration they'd had for his Quirk.

Still, the first pair have set a strong example for the class, and Youko is looking forward to seeing what everyone else can do.

The next pair is Asui and Iida; the former gets into a froggy crouch after having literally hopped over there, while the latter takes a sip from a water bottle he has in his pocket, sets it down, and then... rolls up his pant legs?

It's only so far as to expose his calves, but it's still odd. Youko squints and focuses and just about sees something protruding from his skin that gleams in the sun, but then the robot signals the start of the test and Iida is off like a _bullet_. And then before she can blink he's crossed the finish line, leaving Asui in his dust, and it doesn't look like he's even broken a sweat.

Youko may not like the boy, but she can't deny being impressed by his speed. To the point that she even considers using his chi for her own run of this test; she doubts that anyone else will break his record.

And it quickly becomes clear that she's right. With her moved to the last position, the next pair are Uraraka and the kid with the tail. And despite the little flashes of light that her fingertips emit when she touches her clothes, it doesn't seem to make any difference – Tail Guy just kind of uses his tail as a springboard to repeatedly propel himself along, while Uraraka is left running like a normal person.

“Man, this bites, how am I even supposed to use my Quirk for this anyway?” gripes Kaminoke (or whatever his name is); he and the boy with the spiky red hair are the next pair up. He stares at his hands, which are crackling with electricity, before giving up and reluctantly dropping into a runner's crouch.

“I know how ya feel,” Red tells him, “but c'mon, it's only the first test. I'm sure you'll find a way to use it later.”

Kamigata lets out another whining groan, but then the starting 'pistol' is fired, and the two boys take off. Neither one is using their Quirk as far as Youko can tell, so their speeds aren't nearly as amazing as what Iida, Ashido, or Tail Guy managed to pull off, but Red has the clear advantage in base speed and wins their portion of the race.

The mute Craggy-headed kid and Sadou are next; Youko sees the latter scarf down what she can only assume is a piece of candy or something so he can use his Quirk, and the strength boost does him wonders as he easily beats his racing partner to the end of their track. Which is mildly disappointing, as Youko was interested in seeing the meek boy's Quirk.

At any rate, half the class has now completed the first test, and there's only been one clear standout among them. Unfortunately it's Iida, and Youko finds the idea of using the chi of someone as pompous and annoying as him to be... unpleasant. She'd much rather use (someone like) Ashido's chi, but she knows that the others (and, more importantly, their teacher) will be expecting her to use the chi of whoever got the fastest time.

So, with a quiet and reluctant groan, Youko forces herself to quietly move closer to Iida – while still watching the other tests, of course, in hopes that she'll have another good option.

It won't be Kyouka or the tall kids with the weird arms, though – neither of their Quirks are suited for running, though to his credit Arms seems to be at least trying to use his extra appendages to make himself more aerodynamic. Youko doesn't know how much of a difference it makes, but he finishes faster than Kyouka all the same.

“Uggh, this is middle school all over again,” Kyouka groans between heavy breaths at the finish line. “Even if I'm allowed to use my Quirk it's not like I can propel myself forward enough to make a difference...”

“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Arms tells her, though Youko realizes with a start that he's not speaking through the mouth that is (presumably?) behind his mask, but rather a mouth growing out of one of his tentacle-arm-things.

_Well_ that's _a hell of a Quirk_ , she thinks.

Kyouka seems startled by this too, but only for a moment and it doesn't seem like Arms cares, or more likely he's just used to it. “You did your best, I can tell. You'll find your strength in time.”

“...Thanks,” Youko thinks she hears the other girl say.

As the next two boys – the black-haired one and the one with the bird head – get ready to start, Youko moves the rest of the way over to Iida. “I see...,” she hears him say, “just because we've been given permission to use our Quirks doesn't mean they'll be relevant in all the tests...”

It's pretty obvious that he's mostly talking to himself, but it's as good an opportunity to jump in as Youko is likely to get. “Yeah,” she sighs. “The pressure's on for those of us whose Quirks aren't really suited to feats like this. It's either figure out how to use it, or...” She trails off there, unwilling to voice the threat of expulsion hanging in the air. She still doesn't believe Mr. Aizawa will actually go through with it, but not to the degree that she can completely ignore it either.

Iida glances at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the next race as the starting shot rings out; unlike the last few competitors, both boys make immediate good use of their abilities. The grinning black-haired boy jumps and shoots some kind of ribbon or tape from the weird growths on his elbows, which manages to reach across the running track and beyond to latch on to a tree on the border of the field. And the moment it does so it retracts, letting the boy fly down the track with ease.

It would have been the most impressive display so far if some kind of literal freaking _shadow beast_ hadn't _emerged_ from the bird-headed boy, somehow lifted him up into the air by whatever part of its body is connected directly to its 'host' (Lower body? Tail? Umbilical cord? Youko doesn't know what to call it), and dashed forward on its two clawed arms.

The two are close in speed, but Bird-Boy and Shadow-Beast barely manage to take the lead thanks to gravity taking issue with Tape Guy's stunt, forcing him to take long bounding leaps after his initial flight wears off.

“Well, shit,” Youko says, genuinely impressed. Maybe she should be using one of their chis for this instead of Iida's?

“While I don't approve of your language, Ms. Indou,” Iida says, tipping the balance further out of his favor, “I can certainly agree with the sentiment. It's easy to see how those two got accepted into the Hero Course.”

“They're certainly making it harder for me to decide whose chi I want to use for this test,” Youko replies.

Iida raises a brow. “Really? Pardon me, but between your earlier statement regarding your support item and your request to Mr. Aizawa, I'm having trouble understanding exactly how your Quirk works.”

Youko sighs. “You know what chi is, right?”  
After a moment, Iida nods. “It's a sort of magical life energy that exists inside us, correct?”

“...Pretty much,” Youko admits. “Normally it's something that can only be interacted with through magic, but my Quirk lets me manipulate it more directly. Though, really, all I can do is move it into or out of me. Putting my own chi into something like my stick,” she taps the item in question, still slung on her back, “lets me make it stronger over time, while taking it out of other people lets me copy some of their abilities.”

“I see, interesting...,” Iida says. “It certainly sounds like a versatile Quirk, even if it _is_ limited by what you have around you.”

“Yeah.” Youko silently wishes he would get a clue about why she's talking to him about all this, but apparently she needs to be more explicit about it. “Though having too _many_ options is kind of a problem too. Then again...,” she shoots a coy glance at Iida that goes unnoticed, “I doubt anybody is gonna beat your time, so I should probably just use _your_ chi for this test...”

_That_ gets his attention. “Oh? You want to use _my_ chi?”

“...Yeah? Like I said, you _do_ have the fastest time right now...” Gods, he's so dense, but Youko can't help but feel like there's something more to it. He certainly seems more thoughtful about it than she'd like. “It's okay if I use it, right?”

She briefly gets distracted as Hagakure and Shitty Hair (Endeavor's Son) finally trudge out to take their places at the starting line, but her attention shifts back to Iida when he says, “No, I have no issue with giving you some of my chi, it's just...” Youko raises a brow, dread beginning to grow inside her. “My Quirk, Engine, requires a certain fuel in order to work properly. If the limitation carries over when copied, it'll be a problem, as unfortunately,” he holds up the water bottle he's been carrying around, and it doesn't take much to put two and two together, “I only have enough orange juice for myself.”

Well, shit. “ _Huh_.” She sighs, and looks back at the track. “Yeah, that's... not gonna work then. Maybe if Mr. Aizawa lets us have a break before the long-distance run I can get something for myself, but for now... “ Shit, shit, shit. “I'll have to find something else, then.”

“I'm certain that Sero or Tokoyami would allow you to use their chi if you asked them,” Iida suggests.

Youko doesn't know exactly who those two are, but if they're the Tape Guy and the Bird Guy, then... Well, thinking about it more, the tape is probably a bad idea; Youko's aim isn't too bad if she says so herself, but shooting from the _elbows_ seems like a whole different level of difficulty and she can't rely on Tape Guy's chi coming with that sort of muscle memory. And as for Bird Guy, his whole 'shadow beast' thing is unlike anything she's ever seen before.

No, not quite actually. She's seen something like it before... just in the form of demonic possession. She doesn't know if that's what's going on with Bird Guy (and if so, yeah, she needs to be wary and look for an opportunity to Do Something About It), but without a whole lot more information about what he can do she's not about to go _near_ his chi.

Which brings her back to-

No, never mind that thought, Youko's just born witness to Shitty Hair (Endeavor's Son) freezing a path of ice for himself and skating down the track with all the ease and grace of, well, an ice skater. (Hagakure, who is merely invisible, has been left moaning about how Unfair This Is as she desperately tries to sprint 50 meters.)

Setting aside the fact that the son of Endeavor, probably the most famous fire-user in generations, has a freaking _ice_ Quirk, it seems like Youko has found her new choice of chi for the first test.

Assuming, of course, that she can handle copying Shitty Hair's Shitty Hair along with it.

Just imagining it is legitimately horrifying.

_Well_ , she tells herself, _at least I won't copy his_ haircut _, too. And hey, maybe my hair won't go_ full _red and white, either, just turn lighter and darker shades of brown..._

... _who am I kidding, it's gonna look fucking stupid no matter what_...

As the rest of the class is murmuring about the coolness (both figurative and literal) of Shitty Hair's Quirk, the Spiky Asshole steps forward with a cocky smirk on his face. “Whatever. Let me show you idiots how it's _really_ done.”

Joining him is the kid with the messy green hair; he looks especially meek (or maybe just worried?) as he gets into position next to Asshole, especially when the other boy gives him a derisive snort. The robot signals their start, and with a shout of “BURST SPEED!” Asshole points his palms backward and uses a string of explosions to propel him forward, even getting airborne near the end of his run.

Green, meanwhile, is just another sprinter – though his performance does seem to elicit a muttered “That's odd...” from Iida. Youko doesn't care nearly enough to ask him what he means; her turn is next, she needs to get her chi, and awful hair plus a stony personality trumps whatever bully-type shit Asshole has wrong with him, regardless of his speed.

Of course, just her luck, Mr. Aizawa announces the last match before Youko can get close enough to Shitty Hair (Endeavor's Son). “Indou, Yaoyorozu, you're up. You _are_ both ready, correct?” The impatience in his voice is palpable, and his stare is _extremely_ pointed at Youko.

Naturally, everyone else's stares soon follow.”Oh yeah, she said she can copy Quirks, right?” says Tape Guy. “I wonder who she's gonna choose?”

“C'mon, man, it's gotta be Iida,” says Red. “He was the fastest out of all of us!”

“Ah, actually,” Youko speaks up, loud enough to make sure they can hear her, “I already talked to him about it, but it seems like I can't quite use it right now. His Quirk needs a fuel I don't have,” she adds at the confused looks. “So, uh, I've decided to choose-” She looks around for Shitty Hair, but accidentally makes eye contact with Asshole in the progress

“Don't even _think_ about using my power!” he snarls. “If you can't even handle a shitty test like this with your own Quirk, then just fucking drop out already!”

Youko's eye twitches and her teeth clenches as she holds back the anger that has rapidly spiked within her.- she doesn't want to start an argument with the idiot. “This _is_ my Quirk,” you stupid jackass, she doesn't say, “and I wasn't going to ask you anyways!” She scans the crowd again, her anger letting her more quickly pick out Shitty Hair's most noticeable trait. She points at him, still glaring at Asshole. “I was gonna ask _him_!”

The class parts to look at the kid in question; Asshole snorts, probably.

Shitty Hair (Endeavor's Son) just _stares_ at her, unspeaking, unblinking. It's honestly kind of awkward, to the point that Youko has to say, “Well? Will you let me use your chi or not?”

He frowns, and it almost seems like he's having some sort of internal struggle. Eventually, he says, “My power is difficult to control. Are you sure it's what you want?”

Youko sighs, and starts walking over. “It's fine, I'll be able to control it as well as you can,” more or less. “Besides, I'm not gonna try to do anything fancy with it, just the same ice slide thing you did.”

He doesn't seem entirely convinced, but mutters a “Whatever...,” all the same, which is enough prompting for Youko to reach out and-

“Ooh, so how's this gonna work?” Ashido suddenly, excitedly, asks. “Are you gonna suck his blood out, like a vampire?”

... _vampire_...

Youko can't help it, she freezes in place, unwanted memories bubbling up to the surface, threatening to flood her with long-buried taunts and jeers.

... _don't touch her or she'll steal your soul!_...

... _I heard she can curse you just by looking!_...

... _don't talk to her or you'll end up like Naruta!_...

... _get away from me, you freak! Go away!_...

... _go away!_...

... _jiangshi_...

_**NO**_.

Youko's will is strong, it has had to be, and she forces the wretched things back to the depths of her mind. They will return later, she already knows it, but for now she will not lose herself to her childhood. She is better than that.

“-they're really quite different,” she hears Yaoyorozu say as she rejoins the present; she gets the vague feeling that the other girl has been correcting Ashido's... _unfortunate misconception_... during Youko's space-out.

She takes a breath, focuses back on Shitty Hair ( _shit, what's his name again? Todo-something?_ ), and says in a clear voice, “I just need skin contact, that's it. Should only take a couple seconds.” And then she thrusts her hand out as if to shake.

The boy, the stupid, annoying boy, _looks at his hand_ for a whole goddamn three seconds before reaching out and taking hers. Youko activates her Quirk instantly, closing her eyes to get a better feel for it, and breaks contact the moment she can feel the new ability manifest within her.

She takes stock of herself.

_A lot more indifference, but whatever. Some pretty strong underlying anger, too, but it's not directed at anything in particular, which is fine I guess? No, maybe not really, gotta keep track of which is mine and which is his, dammit._

_Left eye, no, cheekbone? itches... Fuck, did I copy his scar? Shit, didn't think about that, I must look dumb as hell right now..._

_Quirk is_... woo, _that's strong. And.... weird? Right side only, the hell? And why do I feel like I only got half the package? Something is definitely missing, I should-_

“Are you about finished?” Aizawa's harsh voice cuts through her thoughts.

“Ah, yeah,” Youko says automatically. She's already wasted enough time as it is, she needs to just get this test over with so she can get rid of this chi. She can ask Shitty Hair about his Quirk later, if she wants to. His face is showing some pretty mixed feelings right now, but she doesn't care about that, and the others are starting to murmur in surprise and shock, though she doesn't care about that, either.

It takes her a couple steps towards the starting position to realize that adding Shitty Hair's indifference on top of her own is maybe something she should be concerned about. She doesn't want to stop caring so much that she loses track of herself, so she tells the parts of her that are currently Shitty Hair (Endeavor's Son) to shut the hell up, and forces herself to pay more attention to the people around her.

From what she can gather, a number of the boys seem genuinely taken aback by her physical changes, which is definitely annoying (good, a proper _feeling_ ). Hagakure and Ashido too, though to a lesser extent. Asshole is determinedly ignoring her. Green is mumbling to himself, too low for her to hear but those around him seem vaguely creeped out by it. Most of the others just seem varying levels of startled.

And Aizawa is looking _incredibly_ impatient, and that alone is enough to get Youko to hurry up and hustle her way to the track where Yaoyorozu is already waiting. “Your Quirk certainly seems... interesting,” she says with an awkward sort of smile that leads Youko to believe she doesn't know what else to say so she's just defaulted to being polite.

Which is fine, because Youko ( _all_ of Youko) doesn't really know what to say either. The best she can come up with is “It, uh, it has its drawbacks,” which at least seems to lower the tension in the air.

Yaoyorozu's next smile is more genuine. “I can certainly understand that,” she says, _lifting up her gym shirt and pulling a pair of over-the-shoe inline skates out of her belly what the actual fuck._

(It's such a startling move that Youko barely even registers the red light that shines at the skin-skate boundary as the items are _literally_ pulled out from the girl's body.)

“Runners, on your marks!” the robot calls out after Yaoyorozu has clipped on her skates and Youko has recovered enough to drop into a runner's crouch.

The starting shot rings out, and Youko lets the instincts she got with Shitty Hair's chi do the bulk of the work: lead with her right foot, 'spread' the ice out in front in a narrow path, and slide along it.

“5.14 seconds! 5.23 seconds!” It's a close race, but Yaoyorozu's experience and better physical ability give her the edge over Youko's borrowed Quirk.

To her vague surprise she doesn't feel particularly winded; if anything, she's a little chilly. (Though that, she knows, is just a side-effect of the ice Quirk). Still, though, she takes a moment to steady herself both mind and body, then gathers Shitty Hair's chi (and all his anger and indifference with it) to her salivary glands and spits it out.

Yaoyorozu's surprise at the gesture is obvious in hindsight. “Interesting,” she says. “Is there a time limit to your Quirk, or do you just not want to keep using Todoroki's chi?”

“Uh, both, kinda,” Youko answers, just glad she's not disgusted by the spitting. “The longer I hold on to someone else's chi the harder it is to get rid of, pretty much, so I usually try to just get rid of it once I'm done using it for, you know, whatever I got it for.”

“I see,” she says, looking thoughtful as they start to walk back towards the rest of the class.

“So... what about you?” Youko asks in the growing silence that follows. “What's your Quirk, some kind of extradimensional thing?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Yaoyorozu answers, somewhat bashfully. “My 'Creation' allows me to convert lipids in my body into any non-living substance or object that I can think of.”

_Holy shit_.

“Wait, _any_ object?” she asks, brow shot up in surprise as her mind starts to race through the possibilities – nearly any spell ingredient, no matter how rare, could be hers for the low, low price of a bit of body fat?

“Yes, so long as I have a thorough understanding of its molecular structure and method of production in the case of manufactured items,” Yaoyorozu explains. “Though, from what I've been told, any objects I create lack the _chi_ they would normally have, making them nearly useless for most magical purposes.”

“Ah...,” Youko says, deflating thoroughly. “Well, I guess that makes sense. It's not like the things you create are actually living and accumulating chi the normal way. If anything, they'd have _your_ chi...”

“Is that so?” Yaoyorozu seems interested, and Youko is more than willing to go into the details, but Mr. Aizawa is _staring_ at them and it doesn't seem like the best time to have any in-depth discussions about how chi works.

“Well, now that that's _finally_ over, we can move on. We're behind schedule.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My original plan for this chapter was to cover the entirety of the Quirk Assessment Test but, well... It got away from me. Oh well, but it's for the better in the long run, probably. Let's me go into a bit more depth than canon did, and show off more of what everyone does for each test.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter, and the series as a whole! And I'll see you all next time.


	6. The First Test, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uggh, sorry for the wait on this. Probably could've gotten this out last month but I got sidetracked revising the other story I've started (re)posting. I'd like to say that the next chapter will come sooner, but... it won't. There's still a lot of revising to do.
> 
> Well, for now anyway, enjoy the update!

Indou Youko walks with her new classmates across one of U.A.'s athletics fields, led by their homeroom teacher, Mr. Aizawa, to where they'll be taking the second portion of the first day's Quirk Assessment Test.

Eight physical fitness tests similar to the standardized ones from junior high, with the caveat that using their Quirks is not just allowed it's _expected_. After all, whichever one of them scores the lowest overall will be immediately _expelled_ from the most prestigious Heroics course in the country.

...Or so Mr. Aizawa says, at least. Youko finds the set-up suspiciously similar to the practical portion of the entrance exam, designed to push their physical abilities to the limits while leaving the students to fill in the rest themselves. There's more that matters in the world of a Pro Hero than pure physicality; the entrance exam also looked for a willingness to help others, and if she had to guess then Youko would say the current test is a measure of their creativity as well. The whole 'expulsion' threat is almost certainly nothing more than a way to motivate them all.  
  


Not that she can really act on those thoughts, of course. She's not certain enough that it's all a bluff, and even if it is the test is still probably something they need to do anyway. There's no real point in holding back.

Plus, she's pretty sure she's already gotten on Aizawa's bad side just by delaying the 50-meter dash like she did. Better to stay quiet and out of the spotlight for now.

* * *

_Test #2: Standing Long Jump_

* * *

“Alright, let's make this quick,” Aizawa says. He's standing between the class and a large sandbox, and despite it being about twice the length as regulation ones – about 10 meters by Youko's reckoning as opposed to 5 meters – it's still blatantly designed for the standing long jump. “You'll go one at a time in order of seat number, with Indou at the back. No run-ups allowed, and your distance will be measured judged by where either of your feet first touch the ground. Everything else is fine. Got it?”

Youko joins the class in murmuring their assent, and scans the field for a moment before heading over to the end of the loose 'line' the class has formed.

There's several of those tripod judge-robots here, including the one that had scored the 50-meter dash which had zipped over to take a place along the sandbox roughly corresponding to the point where most kids would have landed in junior high.

Another robot waits at the far end of the sandbox, and two more are further out in the grass. It's obvious that Mr. Aizawa has prepared for just about any possibility here.

“And here I go!” cries Frenchy, first up once more. And just like the first test, he begins by spinning around, jumping, and shooting that weird laser of his out of his belly button.

It's slightly less impressive now that she knows to expect it (not to mention the drawback it allegedly has...), but it's still enough to rocket the boy clear of the sandbox and all the way to the first judge-bot in the outfield.

“Another strong start,” Yaoyorozu states, standing next to Youko.

“Yeah,” is all Youko wants to say, staying silent with her hopes that she won't have to use the blond's chi for this trial.

The second test seems to go by much more quickly than the first did; Ashido huffs in annoyance before doing a completely normal jump that only just makes it past the first judge, and is followed by Asui, whose low and simple frog-hop still manages to send her flying nearly as far as Frenchy did.

And then comes Iida, who blows them both away by jumping straight up and activating the engines in his legs, sending him _spiraling through the air_ in a way Youko thinks _has_ to be uncontrolled. Some of the others are laughing at the spectacle, and while Youko can see the humor in it, mostly she just thinks that his stunt is _wildly_ inefficient.

Especially since he only _barely_ sticks the landing near the third judge.

Somehow, Uraraka's performance is even worse, though. She starts off promisingly – she does a weird thing with her hands, then jumps up at nearly a forty-five degree angle... and keeps slowly floating upward rather than arc back downward.

But then it seems the effect of her Quirk wears off, or maybe the strain of it gets to her, because all of a sudden she _drops_ , falling like a rock straight down towards the ground. Youko doesn't know if it's fortune or planning, but she lands (face-first) at the end of the sandbox.

And then promptly throws up.

_Well, shit,_ Youko thinks, _I hope she didn't get hurt by that. I left my spells back in the locker room. ...maybe I should ask Master Yau for a nausea remedy later._

Uraraka picks herself up soon enough, and the test continues. Tail Guy gets some good distance using his tail as a springboard again, then it's Kami-whatsits turn again.

He lets out a stupid idiot battlecry, unleashes some electricity as he jumps, and falls flat on his ass not even three meters down.

Needless to say, he's flushed with embarrassment as he trudges back to rejoin the class, brushing the seat of his pants as the Red-haired boy passes him.

Red also uses his Quirk, one that makes all his features sort of sharpen, or, no, harden? Become more rock-like anyway. Neither it nor his own battlecry end up helping, though at least he manages to get past the three-meter mark.

“Like I thought,” Youko hears him say as he walks back to his friends, “my Quirk is better for the _fall_ than the _jump_. Darn.”

Craggy is up next, though there's some confusion at first as to where exactly the boy is.

Then everyone sees him off to the side, covered with pigeons.

“What the hell...,” is all Youko can say as she watches the boy take the starting position with a bunch of birds roosting on his shoulder. And she is more surprised than she really ought to be when they start _carrying him_ when he jumps.

Still, though, the mute boy is fairly large, and a dozen pigeons are only so strong, and they can only manage to get him just past the end of the sandbox before giving up. He bows to them as they fly off.

The rest of the test goes quickly. Sadou's boosted strength nearly gets him to the end of the sandbox; the Tall Kid with the Weird Arms gets just shy of that mark by using the weird membrane between his arm-tentacle-things to glide; Jirou mutters angrily before doing a completely normal jump.

Tape Guy tries to repeat his Dash performance by launching a line of tape at one of the judge-bots in the outfield, but evidently misjudges its weight – trying to reel himself in pulls the robot towards him too hard, and without a stable anchor he lands flat on the sand (to the laughter of the class).

Then Bird Head uses his _seriously weird_ shadow beast thing to both launch him into the air _and_ stick the landing, both earning a considerable score and reaffirming Youko's desire to figure out his deal ASAP because if he's being possessed by a demon, she _really_ needs to do something about it.

Shitty Hair (Endeavor's Son) (What did Yaoyorozu say his name was? Todo-something?) launches himself into the air on an angled pillar of ice; for a moment Youko expects him to keep the ice going and just ride it all the way to the outfield, but it seems he can only get it to go so far before it starts collapsing under its own weight.

He still makes it further than anyone else, though, even if his landing looks like it probably hurt.

“Seriously, how am I supposed to compete with _that_?” Hagakure whines before taking her turn, once again unable to do anything special with her invisibility.

“She probably has it rougher here than anyone else...,” Youko murmurs in sympathy. She hasn't even known the girl for more than an hour, but she doesn't want her to get expelled just because of an unsuitable Quirk.

“Agreed,” Yaoyorozu says. “Though... if I'm not mistaken, she'll find her chance soon. What about you?” she asks Youko.

“Well, I'm kinda regretting giving up his chi right now,” she admits, watching Shitty Hair calmly slide back into the group. “But... no, I'll be fine, I'm not worried. In fact, I already think I know what I want to do for my turn.”

Yaoyorozu looks interested but doesn't say more; Asshole is up, and with a savage grin on his uses those explosions from his hands to fly farther than even Shitty Hair did. Then Green steps up, Yaoyorozu goes to get ready for her turn, and Youko heads over to the person she's singled out to be her choice for this.

“I'm guessing you've already decided to use my chi, then?” Asui asks, and it almost takes Youko off-guard.

“How'd you guess?” she replies.

The froggy girl puts a large, thoughtful finger to her lip. “Well, it's almost your turn, and you don't look like you're here for casual conversation, ribbit,” she explains. “Though I must say, I don't really know why you're choosing my chi specifically. I mean sure, I did well, but not as well as Aoyama or Todoroki did.”

_Right, okay, Shitty Hair_ is _named Todoroki, cool_ , Youko quickly notes to herself. “Ah, well, I guess I just don't want to ask him for more chi. Err, Todoroki, I mean. If I'd thought ahead I would've kept it, but... Well, I don't want to drain even more of his energy.”

Asui mulls it over for a second, before deciding, “I guess that makes sense. But what about Aoyama? His laser Quirk seems perfect for this.”

_Okay, so Aoyama is Frenchy, makes sense with the seat numbers and all_... “I guess, but I think I heard him say it has a pretty big drawback, and I'd rather not take chances before I learn more...” The boy has seemed fine so far, but he could just be used to it, and there's no guarantee that kind of thing will transfer over with his chi.

“Oh, right,” Asui nods. “Well then, I suppose I can help you out then.”

She reaches out with her hand, and Youko smiles and takes it. “Thanks,” she tells the girl as she activates her Quirk.

The chi of someone with a mutant-type Quirk is different than an emitter- or transformation-type; even if Youko drains it at the same rate, it changes her more slowly simply because it changes so much _more_. It's not just a few cosmetic things on top of whatever is needed for the Quirk to function, it's her entire body, from the tips of her toes to the end of her nose.

It's almost painful, even, and Youko has to _focus_ on keeping the process going as her whole skeletal structure shifts and her internal organs morph and rearrange themselves into something more froggish.

And in the end, she doesn't even take things all the way – she's already drained about twice as much chi from Asui as she had from Todoroki Shitty Hair, and she can _feel_ that the Quirk hasn't even fully manifested itself. But she doesn't want the girl to become even _more_ tired (doubly so since she won't have much time to rest before the next test, relatively speaking), and so she stops draining once she feels that her legs have become strong enough.

“Wow, this feels really weird, ribbit,” she croaks almost without thinking about it. He tongue is _so big_ now, it's distracting, and her stomach feels weird, and so do her hands, and she doesn't know if she wants to crouch down or stand up and so she sort of hovers halfway between them, and it takes her a second to register it as the same posture she's seen Asui take.

Asui, who is currently groaning lightly and wiping the sweat from her brow. “That was more intense than I expected, ribbit. I can certainly understand your worries about using it on us now.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Youko tells her. “It should pass in a few seconds, though the tiredness won't, ribbit.”

Out of the corner of her eye she spots Green rejoin the group, and judging by his embarrassed and worried expression she guesses he's another one who couldn't use his Quirk this time. Which means that Yaoyorozu is up, and thus her own turn is coming soon, and even though she still feels guilty about taking Asui's chi she leaves the girl be and walks – no, _hops_ – closer to the sidelines.

Just like before, Yaoyorozu shows no hesitation in lifting her gym shirt just enough to pull (create?) an object from her body, but it's not until she lays it down on the ground that Youko realizes what it is.

It's a springboard. Nothing more, nothing less. And Yaoyorozu uses it to good effect; her jump isn't as impressive as any of the front-runners, but it still lets her get much further down the sandbox than she would have otherwise.

She seems satisfied, at least, and shares a glance with Youko as she heads to rejoin the class. “Good luck,” she says.

“...Thanks,” Youko replies (no, ribbits), too flustered to say anything else. She doesn't wait for any prompting from Aizawa to take her place at the starting line.

She crouches down just like she knows Asui did, and _leaps_.

The feel of the air rushing at her face is _amazing_ , she feels like she's _flying_ , and it takes her mind a second to realize that, yes, this is just because of one simple-feeling jump. She idly wonders if Asui feels like this all the time, or if she's gotten used to it, but then gravity starts to win out over forward momentum and she starts her descent.

She lets her body do all the work, and lands just as nimbly as any _real_ frog would. She looks over her shoulder, and is _amazed_ by how far away the starting line is.

She feels so good, in fact, that she's halfway back to the class before she remembers that, hey, she should probably let go of Asui's chi now that she's done with it. She can't let herself get too attached to what she's feeling right now, she needs to remember _herself_ , and so well aware of her own reluctance she makes herself gather up the foreign energy and spit it all out. She stands tall and walks the rest of the way.

Mr. Aizawa tells her that she landed several meters shy of Asui's score, which only makes sense – Youko is bigger than the other girl, after all, and her legs were less powerful.

But that just leaves her even more in awe of what Asui is capable of, and what she must feel every day of her life.

* * *

_Test #3: Repeated Side-Steps_

* * *

_Nobody_ is good at the third test, not really. All it amounts to is jumping between three lines of chalk as many times as you can during the time limit, and yet somehow it is a great equalizer for the class.

Even the more athletic members of the class – Ashido, Asui, Iida, Tail Guy, Red, Arms – can only do so much better than average, with none of them willing (or able) to use their Quirks.

And it's easy to understand why when Sadou _does_ try, and his increased strength causes him to overshoot on his very first jump and bomb the test entirely. Even Bird Guy and Todoroki Shitty Hair can't make effective use of their abilities.

It seems like there's a level of precision involved that no amount of raw power can help with. The key, Youko thinks after watching the rest of the class, is in the ability to switch directions rapidly, and nobody has a Quirk that can really help with that.

Still, though, there are a few surprising results towards the end of the test. The first comes in the form of Hagakure, who the class loses track of for a moment before she announces “Okay, I'm ready to go!” and everyone notices the disembodied pair of running shoes heading out to the testing location.

It takes Youko a few more seconds to spot the pile of clothing that the girl has left behind, and a few more on top of that to reach a rather stunning conclusion.

_Hagakure what the fuck._

The rest of 1-A figures out what she's done too, and to their (minor) credit the boys look just as shocked and flustered by it as Youko is.

In fact, the only person who doesn't look shocked is Yaoyorozu, who's looking at Hagakure (or her shoes, at least) with an oddly contemplative expression.

“She's untied her shoes... I see, so that's her plan...”

It's an odd comment, but Youko ventures another look and, yeah, as far as she can tell it looks like Yaoyorozu is right. But then, what did she mean by-

Oh.

_Oh_.

Yeah, that makes sense. Probably the closest thing to cheating that anyone's done so far, but Youko can't blame the girl for it. It's not like anyone would be able to prove it, anyway.

Sure enough, her go at the side-step test is a flurry of movement, her shoes alternately slamming down on the outer lines at a wild rate as though she were, say, just holding them in her hands or something and not actually jumping.

Not that Mr. Aizawa seems to be falling for it. Of course, Youko can't imagine _anyone_ not figuring it out.

“Holy crap, how'd she _do_ that?!”

Right, scratch that, Red's apparently just that dumb. So are Kamibaka. And Tape Guy. And, unfortunately, Ashido and Uraraka too.

“Wow, Hagakure, your legs must be really tired after all that!” Uraraka says once the invisible one rejoins them.

“Ha ha, yeah, my legs! Totally!” she laughs before scurrying off towards her discarded uniform.

“Pfft, whatever,” Asshole suddenly, loudly scoffs, drawing all eyes to him. “Let me show you losers how it's _really_ done.”

His try at the repeated side-steps is... impressive, at least; he does a short hop, holds his hands straight out to his sides, and uses his explosions to rapidly propel him back and forth, and it's easily the high score for the round.

Doesn't stop him from eventually losing the fight against physics, overcompensating on a blast to keep himself in the air, and thus screwing up his rhythm for the last few seconds, though.

After him, it's just Green doing nothing notable yet again, Yaoyorozu creating a pair of large rubber 'bumpers' that she can sort of bounce off of, and then it's Youko's turn.

Flushing furiously under Aizawa's scrutinizing gaze, she becomes the final member of Class 1-A to not use her Quirk on this test.

It's not her fault the only one that could be helpful to her would require her to strip. Invisibility or no, she was _not_ taking her clothes off in front of the class.

She suffers the humiliation of getting the worse side-step score in silence, and they finally move on to the fourth test.

* * *

_Test #4: Ball Throw_

* * *

The fourth test goes much better than the side-steps. Aizawa takes them back to where they'd started, and Frenchy leads the pack with an underhand throw that he manages to shoot with his laser. His aim is just a little off, though, so the ball ends up with more spin than horizontal momentum and only goes a couple hundred meters.

Ashido's throw was kind of a dud, though it was decent for someone not using her Quirk. Then Asui grabbed her ball with were incredibly long tongue and spun it like a hammer throw, easily beating Frenchy's score.

Iida was next, and after visibly struggling with something in his head for a moment, he... did a completely normal throw. Huh.

“Hey, what gives?” Ashido calls out, clearly miffed. “Why didn't you use your Quirk?”

“Because!” Iida shouts, power-walking back over with an almost robotic gait. “No matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, a kick is not a throw! It would be against the spirit of the test!”

Nobody is impressed by his decision. Especially Mr. Aizawa, though he doesn't say anything about it.

The test continues with Uraraka using her Quirk on the ball, and sending it into the air with a throw that really doesn't seem like anything special at first.

Until it just keeps going...

...And going...

...And going.

And by the time Aizawa just gives the now-orbital ball a score of infinity, Youko has already gone over and taken some of Uraraka's chi for herself. And boy, does it make her feel _great_.

Tail Guy thwacks the ball, like, _bam!_ And Kamiguy totally tries to zap the ball but it doesn't work, how sad! Red Hair's throw is pretty good though, showing how just trying your best can get you through anything! And Craggy has a crow carry his ball, which is totally adorable!

And Youko has to shake her head, because she knows her own feelings aren't _that_ peppy and enthusiastic. Not even close. She reminds herself that these are a bunch of people she barely knows, people she _technically_ is competing against right now, which means she shouldn't be getting so invested in how they're doing.

The current strain of voices in her head still get excited when she sees Sadou and Tall Arms do great with their throws, but the real Youko keeps herself almost stonily calm.

Though Jirou, finally putting those weird earlobes to use to launch her ball with a loud _thub_ of base, does at least earn a smile and cheer alongside the rest of the class. Sure, the blast isn't as focused as Asshole's explosion, but it still sends the ball flying all the same.

Tape Guy, Bird Guy, Todoroki Shitty Hair... all three do well with their Quirks, even if Bird Guy's try is the only one that can really be considered a 'throw' (Tape Guy sticks the ball to his tape and throws it like a sling or something; Todoroki launches his from his hand using a pillar of ice formed in his palm). Hagakure... tries her best again.

And then, with Asshole having already taken his go at this test earlier, it's time for Green to make his move. He's the only one who hasn't shown off his Quirk yet, but for whatever reason Youko gets the impression that a number of the others are expecting something big from him this time around. Green himself looks nervous, standing in the circle with the ball in his hand.

Youko is close enough to Asshole and Iida to hear them talking about the kid. “If Midoriya doesn't shape up soon, he's the one going home,” Iida comments, and he has a point. The kid (Midoriya, apparently?) hasn't done anything notable yet, so he's probably gonna draw the short stick and be victim to whatever Mr. Aizawa actually has in store for whoever gets the lowest rank, be it expulsion or otherwise.

“ _Huh?_ ” is Asshole's reply. “Of course he's going home, he's a Quirkless _loser!_ ”

Which... is shocking to hear, to say the least. But Youko can't take the statement at face value, because there's no way someone without a Quirk would have actually passed the entrance exam. Does he mean that Green is _effectively_ Quirkless? It would fit with what she could tell of his personality.

“Did you not hear about what he did in the entrance exam?” she hears Iida say; it takes her a moment to connect the dots, but as far as she can remember there was only one other person that made such a splash in the exams as to be so well-known.

And that would be the person who scored no villain points, passing only because they managed to take out the goliath 0-pointer and earn a load of rescue points in the process.

And if _Green's_ the one who did it, then Youko has every reason to look at him in a new light. The kid has seemed nervous and jumpy all morning, and Youko had been ready to write him off as someone who just didn't have a good Quirk for the current test, and had maybe even gotten lucky in the entrance exam. But from what she could remember Iida telling her, he should have some kind of ridiculously powerful strengthening Quirk that leaves his body broken when he uses it. And if that's really the case, then...

Yeah, it's no wonder he hasn't used it yet, and quite frankly it'll be a miracle if he doesn't get the lowest score even if he does. One good use, and your body breaks down? How does he expect to become a Hero like that?

Youko sees him grit his teeth and wind up a pitch, and for a split second she believes she can see lines of energy pulsing down his arm, but... just as quickly they disappear, and Green's throw becomes a 46-meter dud.

,,,Except that Youko knows that can't be right, she sensed movement out of the corner of her eye just as Green began to throw, and the air has a weird _feel_ to it now. A few of the others have noticed too, and Youko turns her head just enough to see Mr. Aizawa taking a step forward, looking more intense than he ever has before.

Moreover, the scarf he wears around his neck has unfurled itself, and along with his hair is now waving in the open air. And for just a moment before he walks past her, she can see his eyes glowing red. It's enough to send a shiver down her spine.

“I erased your Quirk,” he tells Green, who's in the middle of a mild freak-out over his failed throw. “The judges for this exam... were not _rational_ enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll in this school.”

Youko doesn't hear Green's mumbled reply at first, but he clearly is surprised by something and exclaims, “I know you! You can look at someone and cancel out their powers! The Erasure Hero, Eraserhead!”

...Who? Youko is lost, and so are most of the others by their confused looks. Fortunately, though, not all of them are so ignorant.

“Ohh, I've heard of him,” Asui says. “I think he works on the down-low.”

“Down-low? What, you mean he's like underground or something?” asks one of the boys.

Asui nods, but it's Yaoyorozu who speaks next. “Essentially, yes. I believe he's not fond of the media, so he doesn't get much attention. Still, though,” Youko follows her gaze over to the man, who seems to still be lecturing Green, “with a Quirk like that, I can certainly understand why he'd be an effective teacher.”

Youko can only agree; if Mr. Aizawa's Quirk is really the ability to cancel other Quirks, which certainly seems to be the case, then there could be no-one better at keep a group of rowdy, diversely-powered teenagers in check.

“No, that's not what I was trying to do!” Green suddenly shouts, and Youko gasps when she sees the many ends of Mr. Aizawa's scarves reach out and grab him without the man visibly touching them – how he did it, she cannot begin to guess.

He spends another minute quietly lecturing the boy before releasing both his Quirk and his strange scarves' hold on Green, and Youko can only wonder if this is it for the kid. She certainly wouldn't blame him for bailing.

But, he doesn't. Mr. Aizawa gives him one more chance at a throw, and after another minute of silent standing he finally winds up again.

And with a cry, he launches the ball _flying_ with force rivaling even that explosive Asshole's Quirk.

To say that everyone is shocked is an understatement. The kid who had done nothing up until now, suddenly showcasing his ridiculously powerful Quirk for all to see? And, what's more, not display any of the major injuries he's allegedly supposed to suffer as a drawback? Yeah, jaws were left gaping.

But none were more surprised than Asshole.

“HEY!” he screams, a few small explosions bursting in his palms before he dashes forward. “DEKU YOU BASTARD, TELL ME HOW YOU DID THAT OR YOU'RE DEAD!”

And he does genuinely look ready to throttle the poor kid (Deku? Is that actually his name or just some shitty nickname that Asshole came up with?), but luckily Mr. Aizawa stops him in time using that strange scarf of his.

Which is a surprise in and of itself. “Because it's a capture weapon made out of carbon fiber and a special metal alloy,” he says in response to Asshole's angry inquiry to that effect. “ _Stand down._ ”

His command brooks no objections; even Green flinches in response to it. “It's be wise to avoid making me use my Quirk so much. It gives me _serious_ dry eye.”

...And that very nearly kills the mood, the tension leaving the whole class as the comment catches them completely off-guard. Which may very well have been the point, as Asshole calms down a moment later, letting Mr. Aizawa end his Quirk and release his weapon's hold.

“You're wasting my time now. Whoever's next can step up.”

He stands to the side, and Green cautiously walks around Asshole and returns to the group – he's clutching his finger, which apparently broke as a result of his throw. Youko sighs and instinctively reaches for her bag – her healing spell should be good enough to take care of a broken finger if it's not too bad – but remembers again that she left it back in her locker, which prompts another sigh.

“If I knew this was gonna happen I'd have brought my spells with me,” Youko says in a tone that would have been scolding if the chi she was carrying didn't make her so worried. As it happens Uraraka is fussing over the boy as she walks over, or is trying to anyway, as Green seems embarrassed by it and is trying to blow off his injury like an idiot.

“Spells?” Green asks, suddenly confused as he looks her way. “Oh, r-right, you're the wizard, aren't you? Err, that is-”

“Yeah, I am,” Youko interrupts. “I'll let you know now that I plan on having a healing spell prepared at all times, but it's only meant for first aid so don't count on me to fix you up if you break more than just a finger next time.”

“R-right, sorry,” Green says, even bowing. Then he looks at his bruised and broken finger, and says, “But I don't think that'll be a problem anymore.” And then, after a moment's pause, he becomes flustered and adds, “Err, that is to say, I don't think I'll need major healing, at least, nothing more serious than this, at least I'll try, and-”

He is, thankfully, cut off by the sound of cannonfire. Which... is alarming enough to garner the immediate attention of Youko. Green, and Uraraka, but it quickly becomes obvious that Yaoyorozu had simply created some kind of small cannon to launch her ball with.

So Youko sighs, and turns to go take her own turn. “Whatever,” she tells Green as she departs, “just make sure you go get that checked out in the infirmary as soon as you can. Got it?”

She doesn't wait for an answer, simply walks over to Mr. Aizawa for the last of the 'softballs', takes her place in the circle, and uses Uraraka's Quirk to send the damn thing into orbit.

It's a testament to how thin Mr. Aizawa's patience has run that he doesn't wait for the ball to get fully out of sight before he addresses the rest of the class. “Alright, we'll be indoors for the next three tests, so hurry up and get to the gym.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you feeling the arc fatigue? Cause I am, damn. I get why this wasn't really shown in much detail in canon. But oh well, the story must go on. The next chapter will 100% finish this, though. That I can guarantee.
> 
> Until next time, dear readers!


End file.
